Gone
by sarahsrr
Summary: While working undercover during a joint FBI operation in Iraq that was compromised. The team discovers that Tony had gone missing when he does not return home. It is a race to find Tony alive before anything happens to him. New chapter finally up!
1. Chapter 1

Gone

This right now is going to be a One- Shot story that may end up being my next multi chapter story. While working undercover during a joint FBI operation in Iraq that was compromised. The team discovers that Tony had gone missing when he does not return home. It is a race to find Tony alive before anything happens to him. Please let me know what you think and if I should continue. As always please read and review.

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Squad Room

All day Gibbs had been anxiously waiting for the call from Tony to say he was getting on the airplane and was on his way back to D.C. The undercover operation was a difficult one, but Tony jumped at the opportunity to be the undercover operative. The team had spent the previous month testifying at the trial of Mathew Connor. He was a Naval Petty Officer arrested for selling Navy weapons to a local militia. Tony and Ziva were the ones sent undercover.

After a successful operation Mathew Connor was arrested and charged with selling illegal weapons. Unfortunately, he came from a very wealthy family and had hired high priced lawyers to discredit Tony and Ziva's testimony. In the end he was convicted of all charges including the assault of a Federal Officer. He was sent to Leavenworth for life.

It had been a grueling two months that had taken a considerable toll on Tony. During the arrest, one of Connor's men stabbed Tony in the side. He spent two weeks in the hospital then was released to testify.

Three days after the end of the trial, Director Leon Vance received a call from the FBI, specifically requesting Gibb's team. The FBI wanted a member of the team to go undercover as a marine officer to investigate the activities of a Marine Captain Tom Reynolds. He was suspected of selling munitions to El Quaida insurgents there in Iraq. Tony eagerly volunteered for the operation against the wishes of Gibbs and Ducky, who said that Tony needed more time to recover from the last operation. However, with Vance's recommendation and his reputation he was chosen to go.

Every day over the last two months, Tony communicated with Abby via the internet because Abby had the most secure line. He would report on the status of what was going on and any breaks in the case. About a month into the operation, Tony got the breakthrough that he needed. He was sent by one of Reynolds associates to make a gun buy. It all went off without a hitch and Tony was finally in. Gibbs suspected that Tony and Abby had kept in such close contact to help support each other. Also, Tony had not been okay emotionally for a long time. Then, a week ago Gibbs received a phone call from Tony that he felt he had been compromised and that his line of communication with Abby was no longer secure. Gibbs called McGee, Ziva, and Ducky and asked for them to meet him in Abby's lab. Gibbs sped across town and saw that for once they had beat him there. Gibbs had explained that Tony had just called an hour earlier to say that he had been compromised and that the secure feed between Tony and Abby was also compromised. Gibbs explained that he would let Abby know in the morning but right now, they had to get Tony back.

"Gibbs" Ziva said "How will we be able to get him back?"

"There were two FBI operatives that were put into place as backup for Tony. Tony was able to give me their names and numbers before he had to take off again. I got a hold of one of them. He had heard about Tony and is making contact and is securing a safe flight out in the morning." Gibbs replied.

For the first time in years he was actually afraid. He was fighting to keep his composure for the sake of his team. He was going to dread explaining to Abby what had happened. He felt useless, as did Ducky, Ziva, and McGee waiting all night for word that Tony was found. They all waited in silence, only stopping for coffee or to get a snack from one of the vending machines. About 5 am the operative called to say that they had located Tony and were putting him on a flight back to the United States at 0800. He also said that Tony was injured but would be able to make the flight okay. He also assured Gibbs that he would have Tony call him as soon as he made it to the air field. Feeling a sense of relief, Ducky, Ziva, and McGee went out for breakfast. About 0700 Abby came walking into the squad room.

"Gibbs" Abby said "It's time to talk to Tony. I've already got the feed up."

Gibbs went running down the stairs to Abby's lab with her running in tow. Abby was worried and was wondering what was going on.

"Abby" Gibbs snapped "Turn the feed off now. Tony has been compromised and they are tracking Tony through your video feed."

"I'm so sorry." Abby cried "I didn't know. Is Tony okay? Are we bringing him home? Tell me Gibbs please."

"Abby" Gibbs replied soothingly "We found him and he should be on a flight home in about an hour. He was given an armed escort to gather his things and get medical treatment before he left."

Abby started to panic. "How did he get hurt? I thought he was okay. Oh Gibbs please help him."

"Abby" Gibbs said as he put his arms around her. "Tony was beaten, but none of his injuries were serious. We don't know the extent of them. All I was told is that Tony was ready to come home and asked for a pizza several times."

Abby laughed as they went back up to the squad room to wait for Tony's call. They were back, placing the food at each of the desks. Abby sat at Tony's desk with Tony's coat around her arms as though receiving comfort from his scent. After they all finished eating, they noticed that it was almost 0800. Then it was 0800. Then it was five, then ten minutes after. Finally at 0830 Gibbs cell phone rang. Gibbs listened then turned to his team to give the bad news.

"Tony Didn't make it to the plane. When he didn't arrive with the escort, the FBI agent went to his undercover and found all of his things gone. There was blood all over the bed."

The end for now! Like I said, please let me know if I should continue or not!!!


	2. Chapter 2

A/n Thank you so much for all of the reviews and the anonymous reviews. I was so pleased and surprised to have received so many reviews from the first chapter. I also want to say thank you for all of the story alerts too. As always please read and review! Please enjoy!! By the way, this story is set during season 7 with the assumption that Ziva has returned!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 2

Gone

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Three weeks earlier

Baghdad, Iraq

Tony had just woken up after having another nightmare. He was ready for the op to be over so he could return home to his friends. He checked his watch that he kept next to his bunk. It was a goodbye present from Abby. He considered it his good luck charm because he was wearing it when he narrowly escaped a mortar attack. It was almost 0600 and Abby would be contacting on his laptop using her secure network. Usually it was either Abby or Gibbs talking to him. But occasionally Ziva, McGee, or Ducky, sometimes even Jimmy Palmer would come down to say hi. It was almost heart wrenching to get to talk to them then have to say goodbye. He learned how to take their pictures using his webcam. So he had his own team wall just like Abby's new Tony wall that she put up. Pulling on his shirt and running a hand through his hair he flipped his laptop on and got ready for the video call.

"Hi Tony, stand back so I can see you. I, I mean we all miss you so much." Abby exclaimed

"I miss all of you too." Tony said wearily "Is Gibbs around Abbs?"

"I'm right here DiNozzo" Gibbs said.

"Hey Boss "said Tony trying his usual smile but not getting it right. "I finally have the lead we have been waiting for. Captain Reynolds came up to me last night and said that he may have found a buyer for the weapons he showed me last week. He's asked me to meet with the buyer tonight. I don't know much more but hopefully this is lead we need to close this case. I need to get out of here. I miss my car, my clothes, and my life. I'm going absolutely crazy here."

"I understand" Gibbs said "Just as soon as this deal goes down we'll have enough evidence to bring Captain Reynolds and all of the other players into custody. I know this has been hard on you but we'll bring you home as soon as we can. McGee and Ziva are gone right now but they said that they would talk to you in the morning. Just hang tough Tony."

Gibbs smile as he walked away. He gave Tony a wave goodbye. Abby suddenly popped into the screen with her smile on her face.

"So Tony" Abby said "How are you doing? And don't you dare lie to me either."

Tony smiled at her. Just seeing Abby's face made him feel so much better. It was almost like he was home.

"Better" he said "It's taken a while to get used to being a Marine. I think Gibbs would actually be proud though. They actually believe that I'm a Marine Sergeant. If you can believe it, I've been put in charge of a platoon. I like the responsibility. It's kind of like being a Senior Field Agent except for a lot more responsibility."

"That sounds so cool Tony." Abby said "It's so quiet around here and I miss you so much. Oh, before I forget, I downloaded a few more movies for you to watch. Just check your email. Also Ducky asked me to say hi from him and Palmer. I will talk to you in the morning. Or we can talk later if you're available. I gotta go Tony. My baby is speaking to me. I love you and be careful please."

"I will and I love you to Abby." Tony croaked while trying to hide the tears.

He was wiping away his tears when a man came up from behind him.

"Sergeant" the man said "Captain Reynolds is looking for you."

Tony stood up to pull his shirt on and to tie up his boots.

"Let the Captain know that I'll be right there." Tony said

After the man left, Tony walked outside thinking that he wanted to talk about the gun deal he was putting together. Instead, the rest of his platoon was waiting for him outside of the mess hall.

"Sergeant Cooper" Captain Reynolds said Tony "We are sending you and your platoon to escort a group of civilians to a UN safe house about four hours away from here. You can plan on being gone for several days."

Tony went back inside to grab his gear. As he did, he quickly slipped on the watch from Abby and sent a quick text to McGee explaining that he would be gone for a few days but not to worry.

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NCIS Headquarters 0700 Two days later

Gibbs heard Abby's mantra before he was able to see her. He turned around to see Abby running toward him in her three inch platforms.

"Gibbs" Abby shouted "I don't know what to do. Tony has missed our video conference two days in a row. I'm worried because he promised to call me at home last night so I could tell him whether we won our bowling tournament or not. Which we did thanks to Sister Rosita. I tried his cell phone but it was turned off and he's not answering. Gibbs, I'm really really worried about him. Please tell me whether he is okay?"

"Abby" Gibbs said "I wish I could. But what I will do is get in contact with the commanding officer that is in charge of the unit that Tony is in. Let's just wait and find out."

Abby was in tears. Gibbs knew that they were close friends even though from the outside they appeared to have completely different personalities. But on the inside they were very much alike. They were special friends, so he knew that this separation was very hard on both of them. It was very hard on Gibbs too. He was ready to go and collect Tony himself. But he knew that there was a mission to complete and Tony was the one to do that.

Abby finally calmed down enough to leave to go back to her lab. When McGee and Ziva came back, he would send McGee down to help her. After Abby left, Gibbs reached for his phone book. Once he found the number he was looking for, he placed the call.

"Hello" Gibbs said "I am looking for Colonel Matsen. This is Jethro Gibbs."

"Wait a minute." The woman said "He just came in. I'll go ahead and pass him over to you."

Gibbs heard two people talking. He was getting very concerned and wanted answers. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice.

"Jethro" Colonel Matsen said "How can I help you today?"

"One of my agents has been undercover in your unit for about three weeks." Gibbs responded "He has been in contact with my forensics specialist almost every day for the time he has been in Iraq. However, over the last couple of days we have had no contact with him. We've tried contacting via the secure connection my forensics specialist has with Agent DiNozzo and also by cell phone but we still haven't been able to reach him."

"Well I do know that a platoon under my unit was sent to escort a group of civilians to a safe house about a hundred miles to the north." Colonel Matsen said "I believe that they were under the command of Captain Reynolds. I from what I've heard they had taken heavy fire about five miles away from the safe house. There were some casualties but I've heard from my source that your boy is okay. In fact he saved the lives of his men. I've heard about a possible commendation coming his way. You should be proud Jethro"

"Thank you" Gibbs said "I'll be sure to let Agent DiNozzo know. Do you know when they are due back?"

"In a couple of days" Colonel Matsen replied "I can arrange for you to speak with him if you'd like."

Gibbs thanked him but said that it was not necessary.

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Iraq Two days later 01125

It was a long trip back to the base. He felt bad that he hadn't been able to talk to Abby or his friends. He'd call after he had a chance to shower and get some sleep. When he made it back to his bunk he saw that there was a note with a time and a place for a meeting. He was glad to be able to get some rest and some food. He had been hoping for a pizza but knew that wouldn't be possible. Tony showered and was getting ready to lie down but he heard a beep coming from his computer. Tony opened it to see Abby and Gibbs watching him from down in Abby's lab. Tony yawned but decided to share the news with his friends.

"Hey Boss and Abs" Tony exclaimed. "I'm sorry Abby that I'd missed our morning video calls. We got called out on a mission. Things kinda got of hand for a while. But we're back and most of my team is okay."

"Tony" Gibbs said "Are you sure that you're okay there. You look like you're about ready to collapse. Did you know that you've got cuts all over your face?"

"I know" Tony said as he lay down on the bed "I feel better now. But what I could really use is a pizza. I know that my face is cut up. It was just some shrapnel from a mortar attack. But thanks to my lucky watch, I survived again. Boss, the meeting is tonight at 2330 tonight. There was a note on my bunk. It said that the buyers like me and want to see me face to face tonight. I guess that this is the break that we've been waiting for."

"It is DiNozzo" Gibbs replied "But Tony, please be careful. Abby will have my hide if anything happens to you. I will have yours too Tony. You look exhausted so we'll speak to you later."

Tony waved his goodbye as he shut his laptop off. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

2330 Meeting place

Tony and Captain Reynolds arrived at the meeting place just when another jeep pulled up. The other men were carrying weapons and a cache of RPG's. One of the men motioned for them to come on over.

"Cooper" Captain Reynolds said "This is Ahmad Adid; he is my main supplier of weapons. I've spoken very highly of you and he has asked to meet with you. So you have the weapons that I had requested."

"Yes we do" Adid said turning around to look at Tony "You don't even look like a marine."

"I am a marine." Tony responded with his usual smile.

"And a damn good one too" Reynolds replied "He's saved the lives of his men twice now. He's the one you want for this job, trust me."

Tony felt confident that this whole thing was finally going the way he wanted. He was sure that in a weeks' time he'd be back in DC with his friends. They set up the time, location and date of the buy. Tony would be introduced to the buyers, he was told in due time. With a sigh of relief he got back in the jeep with Captain Reynolds. Tony noticed that they weren't going back to the base as planned. The captain kept driving until they arrived in a near bye town, about 15 miles away. They pulled up to a fancy apartment building which strangely reminded Tony of his own home. The captain stopped the jeep and motioned for Tony to get out.

"One of these apartments is for you if you want. But first we need to get a few things straight."

The captain led him inside the building using a key card. The elevator was next to an abandoned guard desk. As they walked into the elevator Tony began to get worried. He wished he hadn't left it in his jacket pocket outside in case he needed help. The elevator opened and Tony was led into a spacious apartment. The captain directed him to sit down.

"You do realize that I told a couple of lies back there, didn't you?" Captain Reynolds said with a dangerous look on his face.

"No I don't" Tony responded "I am a marine. And from what I've been told a very good one."

"I just can't believe that." He responded back "I would almost guess that you were a Federal Agent. You had better not be because you don't want to know what I do to people who betray me."

"I'm not" Tony spat back to him "You know that you can trust me."

"I'll take your word this time." Reynolds said very convincingly "Your things should here any minute. You can trust that they didn't go through your things. All your pictures will be in order too. In the morning you'll find a vehicle for your use. No go get your jacket and be up here in five minutes."

The captain tossed him the pass key and watched Tony hurry out the door. Tony hurried outside to grab his jacket. He slipped his cell into his back pocket so he could make the phone call as soon as he was left alone. When he got back up to the apartment, he saw all of his things being dropped into a pile in the living room. The captain waved goodbye and started to leave when he turned around and gave Tony a look that scared him to death.

"Why did you lie to me, Agent DiNozzo? You need to learn to shut down video feeds. They can be easily traced. Tell Abby with NCIS that we say hi."

They left and Tony thought he was in the clear. Tony ran into the bedroom to avoid being seen. He then pulled his phone out.

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Gibbs basement

Gibbs was spending is usual night in his basement working on his boat again. He was worried about Tony, but used the sanding of his boat to relax himself. Suddenly his phone rang. When he saw Tony's name on his caller ID, he knew there was trouble.

"Boss" Tony said with a frantic tone to his voice "We went to set up the gun deal with the new dealers. Everything was fine until we pulled up to an apartment building. I was lead into an apartment that I was told is mine. I figured my cover was blown when he mentioned that he had always suspected I was a Federal Agent. He told me to get my jacket and that my things were being delivered and to hurry back up. They must have gone through my things and saw the live link up to Abby's lab. I shut down my end to keep you guys safe. I need help Boss now."

Gibbs was very worried but kept his voice calm for Tony.

"Okay DiNozzo, I'm calling you FBI contact to come and pull you out. Stay where you are. McGee will use the GPS in your phone so we can get you out."

Gibbs heard pounding on the door and then the sound of a door breaking down. The sound of Tony yelling for help was the last thing he heard. He called Ziva, Ducky, and McGee top meet him in Abby's lab. When Gibbs was talking to McGee he remembered that Abby's special going away watch had a tracking device. McGee was pulling up the program as he was racing out to his car.

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Iraq

Tony woke up to a pounding headache that he could only assume was from another concussion. His whole body was sore. He assumed it was from the beating he was given before he passed out.

He automatically slipped his hand to his wrist. Grateful that it was there, he breathed a sigh of relief because he knew of the tracking device inside the watch. It was one of Abby's most creative ideas. He needed to remember to thank him. A door opened again and he cringed as he was held up to get what he was told, another lesson in what happens to traitors. He cried out in pain this time as he couldn't take the pain anymore. Thankfully he was out again. The next time he woke up, it was to a familiar voice.

"Gibbs?" Tony croaked.

"No!" the voice said "Hey Tony its agent Jensen. We're here to get you out and back to that apartment to get your things. There is a car waiting for you, but you have to be at the air field by 8 am. But first he have to get you looked at. Can you stand?"

Tony looked up and smiled "I gotcha. And yeah, I think I can."

Outside, a medic was waiting to look Tony over. While he was being looked over Tony asked for a second time for a pizza. Everyone laughed as they knew about Tony and his thing for pizza. Tony appeared to be okay except for a slight concussion.

Agent Jensen told Tony he would let Gibbs know that they had found him and that he was on his way to get his things so he could get to the airfield on time. The ride wore Tony out, but his desire to get home kept driving him forward.

The plan was explained to Tony and he ran into the building with the pass card he stuffed in his shoe in case he needed it again. He hurried inside realizing it would take an hour to get to the airfield on time. He was dizzy and was feeling sick. He couldn't allow himself a break right now. He was throwing everything into his bags so he could make a getaway when there was pounding on the door again. This time he was prepared as he opened the door. The men came charging in faster than Tony expected. One of the men got off a shot. Tony felt the bullet land in his shoulder. He turned around and emptied his gun on the three men, killing them all.

He glanced at his watch, realizing that he might not make it in time. Damn it, he thought. In an afterthought he hurried into the bedroom and hid the watch under the mattress so they would know he was still alive. He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text to Abby to give her a clue if it was needed that he was still alive. Tony cried out softly when one of the bags bumped his shoulder. He almost fell to the ground, but picked himself up. He hurried down the elevator and to the waiting vehicle. He got inside with a sigh of relief until he realized that he was too late.

I know that this is another cliffhanger. But this story is going to be full of them. As always please read and review!!!!!!

Sarah


	3. Chapter 3

Gone

Chapter 3

A/n Sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter up. A major case of writers block and rl had a lot to do with it. Enjoy!!!

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Squad Room

0845

Everyone could not believe what they were hearing. How could Tony not have made the flight and where was the escort. Gibbs turned around to face his team. He was angry, frustrated, and incredibly worried about Tony's fate. Gibbs finally was able to collect him self enough to speak. He was all business when he turned around.

"McGee I need you to check Tony's cell phone records for the last few days." Gibbs announced "I need to know who he has been talking to. Abby, the FBI believes that there are surveillance cameras in each apartment and also in the hallways. If there are any videos, I asked them to send the video to your e-mail Abby."

Gibbs phone rang and he listened to what was said on the other end. When the call was over he turned to Abby.

"The FBI was able to find surveillance tapes from inside the apartment and from the hallway down to the building entrance. McGee, go down and work with Abby in her lab. Call me when you get the phone records from Tony's cell phone" Gibbs continued.

Gibbs notices Ziva still standing where she was earlier.

"Gibbs" Ziva questioned "I feel so useless here doing nothing. Gibbs, I need to be out there doing something. He could be dead or laying some hurt and dying. Why are we still here and not on a plane to Iraq."

"Ziva" Gibbs replied gently "Right now we are checking his bank records and Abby is pulling up the surveillance tapes. If and when we find out if he is alive or not, we will be on the first flight to Iraq to bring him home safely."

Ziva was visibly distraught and Gibbs was not sure about how to comfort her. He came around to her left and put his arm around her. Ziva tensed up at fist then relaxed as he felt Gibbs arm touching her.

"Gibbs" Ziva said softly "I am worried because Tony has never been in a situation like this before. Usually we have an idea of where he is and what has happened to him. Has anyone tried to call him? I know that we are doing everything that we can for him, but it doesn't feel like enough right now."

"I agree with you Ziva." Gibbs responded "But like I said, we will bring him home. I can guarantee you that."

Ziva smiled at Gibbs and started to say something until Gibbs phone rang. He immediately picked up the phone and listened as Abby spoke. A couple minutes later Gibbs turned to face Ziva.

"They've found video footage of Ziva on the surveillance tapes." Gibbs exclaimed "Abby wants us down there right away. She also said that Ducky will meet us there in a few minutes."

Ziva looked relieved as they made their way down to the elevator and so did Gibbs. There was a little bit of hope that maybe Tony was still alive. When they got to Abby's lab, McGee and Ducky were already seated next to the plasma screen. Gibbs gave Abby a nod to go ahead and start the first tape.

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Abby's Lab

"Gibbs" Abby announced "The video is not very clear but you can definitely see Tony. The one of the hallway down to the door I haven't been able to check yet. Sorry Gibbs!"

"Uh Boss." McGee hesitated "I haven't had any luck on being able to get Tony's cell phone records. Apparently he changed the number of something and I haven't been able to figure out the new one yet. But I'm working on it."

"You did great McGee." Gibbs said "Don't worry about it right now. Abby go ahead and get the video footage up."

It took Abby a couple of minutes to get the footage going. The video wasn't very clear but they could still see the room and Tony clear enough. The video showed a very tired looking and beaten up Tony DiNozzo. They could see that he was hurrying to collect his things. He was very unsteady and nearly fell over several times.

The whole team seemed to let out a sigh of relief as they were able to see his face and that he was alive at the time of this video. Abby moved closer to McGee and took a hold of his hand. Ziva did the same thing with Ducky.

Meanwhile Tony was still hurrying to stuff everything into his two bags. Tony stopped suddenly as if he had heard something. Several men burst through the door with their guns pointed at Tony. He instinctively pulled his gun out and tried to get out of the room. The men however started firing at him. Tony ducked behind the couch and fired a shot that missed. Then when they were busy looking for them Tony fired two shots and hit one of them men squarely in the chest. As Tony managed to get back up one of the men came up behind him and shot him in the shoulder. They could see that Tony was clearly in pain but quickly collected himself. He then turned around and fired shots at the two remaining men taking them down. Tony checked to make sure that they were dead then started to get ready to leave.

Everyone, especially Abby and Ziva were shocked to see what had just happened. They had all moved closer together as they were trying to deal with what they had just seen happen. Gibbs redirected everyone back to the screen to see Tony reach for his bags. Suddenly he put them down and reached for something on his wrist. And took it off and held it on his hand. Abby mouthed to Gibbs that it was the watch that she had given Tony before he had left for Iraq.

Tony disappeared into the bedroom and didn't come out for a couple of minutes. As he was walking out, Abby noticed that he was doing something with his cell phone. Abby suddenly jumped up and ran over to her desk. She came back with her bat shaped cell phone.

"Gibbs" Abby announced "It's just a hunch but I just have a feeling that Tony may have been texting something to me. I haven't even checked for any messages since I got here this morning."

Abby turned on her phone and started to check for messages. Abby suddenly jumped up and ran back over to Gibbs.

"Gibbs" Abby chimed up "Tony sent me a text message this morning. It said that he left a clue for us in the bedroom of the apartment. He must have been very sure that we would be coming after him. Oh no Gibbs, it also says that he isn't going to make it to the airfield on time. But he said that he was going to try anyway. He said that Tony DiNozzo doesn't give up without a fight. It also says that he loves all of us and to be safe."

Tony stumbled forward while he was trying to grab his bags and slipped quickly out the door. Mc Gee reached over and turned off the video feed. He turned around to face Gibbs.

"Boss" McGee started to say

"I know McGee" Gibbs responded "I know you guys are worried about Tony. But Abby can you pull up the feed from Tony leaving the building?"

Abby reluctantly started the feed from the hallway. She was afraid that this would show that Tony never made it to the vehicle that was left for him by the FBI. Everyone turned back toward the screen and watched Tony stumble down the hallway into the elevator. The video stopped as it showed Tony coming out of the elevator. He was looking around nervously like he thought that someone was waiting. Tony dropped one of his bags and picked up his cell phone again. He opened it and looked at his phone. He shook his head as he closed it again. He threw the other bag over his good shoulder and hurried outside. They saw him get into a truck and pulled away. The video ended there.

"Gibbs" Abby sobbed "I think he was checking to see if I had answered his text message. I didn't and now he may be bleeding to death somewhere or even dead."

Gibbs put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Ducky" Gibbs asked "How long can he make it with that gunshot wound to his shoulder."

"Unfortunately for Anthony" Ducky replied "Not more than maybe a few hours, unless he could get the bleeding stopped."

Gibbs spoke up again "We have to assume that Tony left to try and make it to the air field. We hope that he was able to try and make contact with his FBI contact. I asked him to call us immediately."

"Boss" McGee asked "What if his FBI contact was involved somehow. It wouldn't be the first time that has happened. Have we done a background check on him yet?"

"McGee" Gibbs answered "Fornell did a thorough background check of all the agents that would be in contact with Tony in Iraq. They all passed the background checks. I can't see any reason to suspect any one of them. But we can also keep that as possibility. Abby, I want to try and do that text thingy to Tony's phone. McGee and Ziva, I need you to go home and pack. We are leaving to go and find Tony at 01300 hours today."

McGee and Ziva nodded their acknowledgement and rushed away to start packing. Gibbs noticed that Ducky and McGee were just standing there.

"You two go home and rest." Gibbs barked "We'll call you as soon as we know something. I have to let Vance know what is going on them I need to get some things too. Don't worry; I'll call as soon as we know something."

Gibbs hurried out of Abby's lab. Keeping his composure had been hard. He ultimately agreed with Vance to let Tony do this. He blamed himself and hoped that they wouldn't find him dead somewhere.

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Director's Office

Gibbs knocked on the door and was immediately invited in.

"Leon" Gibbs said "We found Agent DiNozzo on the video. He is injured but is alive. I'm requesting permission to go and bring him back. The FBI has arranged a flight for Agent McGee, Officer David, and myself to fly out in a few hours to Iraq so we can find him."

"You have my permission Jethro." Vance answered "Just make sure you bring our boy home safely. And be safe yourself."

Gibbs nodded his thanks and hurried down the steps. He needed to grab his gear and make some other arrangements.

Ending A/n

Sorry again that it took so long to get this chapter up. Hopefully now I've worked through some of the writer's block that I have had. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions of what you would like to see happen or how I could improve anything please E-mail or pm me. Thanks so much for all of the reviews and alerts. They are all so much appreciated. As always please read and review.

Sarah


	4. Chapter 4

Gone

Chapter 4

A/n Sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. RL made everything crazy last week but most of the craziness is over now. Please enjoy the story. Please as always read and review!!!!

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Squad Room

Gibbs was getting ready to head home to get his gear when his desk phone rang. At first he thought that the line went dead, but a couple of seconds later he thought that he thought was a familiar voice on the other end of the line. He could tell that it was a man and that he was in a lot of pain.

"DiNozzo" Gibbs asked "Is that you?"

He could hear a very faint voice and could not make out what he was saying. It sounded like he was having a lot of trouble talking. Gibbs decided to try again.

"Tony" Gibbs yelled "Are you okay? I need you to talk to me. We're coming to help you."

"Boss" Tony croaked "No one came to the other meeting place. Was an ambush. I need help. Hurry Boss."

Gibbs was starting to panic but he knew that he had to let Tony know that they were on the way and to not give up.

"Tony" Gibbs asked again "Where is the FBI? Did they come back for you?"

There were a few moments of silence before Tony spoke again.

"No" Tony answered "Abby needs to check her messages. It will help you find me."

"I will Tony." Gibbs said soothingly "I'll have Abby trace your phone. Hold on Tony. I promise that we are going to find you."

Then Gibbs could tell that the line had gone dead. Gibbs was worried that maybe the battery had gone dead or something. He picked up the phone to call Abby. The phone rang several times before she answered it. Gibbs interrupted Abby before she could say anything.

"Abby, I need you back here right away. I just had a call from Tony. He sounded like he was in trouble. I need you to trace where the last incoming call to my cell phone came from."

"Gibbs" Abby said frantically "Is he okay? Did he say where he is? I'm so scared now."

"Abby" Gibbs answered "No he is not okay. He couldn't say where he was at. I need you to hurry."

"Gibbs, I'm already on my way back. I'll be there soon." Abby answered.

"That's great Abs" Gibbs answered "I'm heading home right now to grab my gear. And Abby, when McGee gets back, I need you to have him run the facial recognition software to see if he can identify the men who shot at Tony."

The phone went quiet for a moment before Abby spoke up again.

"I will Gibbs" Abby answered "Just hurry back please."

"I will" Gibbs answered.

Even for his standards Gibbs drove faster than usual to get home and back. He hoped that tracing the phone call from Tony would provide the break that they needed. He also hoped that it would show them where Tony was at. Hopefully that would make it easier to find him. Before Gibbs knew it, he was home. He hopped out of his vehicle. He packed everything in record time. He locked the door and was gone again. He raced back to NCIS headquarters in hopes that Abby and McGee would be able to provide a lead that would help them find Tony.

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Gibbs ran inside the building to the elevator and pressed the elevator button with more force than was necessary. He was calling McGee as he was hurrying along to Abby's lab to get an update. The phone rang several times before it was answered. When the call was answered he could hear the clicking of keys.

"Hey Boss." McGee answered.

"McGee" Gibbs replied "I just got back and I'm on my way down to Abby's lab."

Gibbs walked in to see both McGee and Abby hard at work.

"McGee, Abby do either of you have anything for me?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing yet Boss." McGee answered "I am just loading the footage so I can run their photos through AFIS. Abby is having trouble getting a GPS fix location on where Tony was when he called you. But she will keep trying."

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Abby's Lab

Gibbs walked into Abby's lab noticing the silence. Gibbs also noticed that her Tony wall was now spread across two of the walls in her lab. And her favorite picture of him was now on all of her computers and on her plasma screen. They were feverishly working to find some answers when Abby suddenly jumped up.

"Gibbs" Abby exclaimed turning around to face him "I know where Tony was calling from."

Ziva walked in just as Gibbs was about to ask Abby where Tony had been calling from.

"It looks like it came from about five miles southeast of where the airfield was where Tony was supposed to be picked up at. I don't know what is there, but it was the place where Tony had called you from."

"Alright" Gibbs barked to his team "Let's gear up. We are heading out to Anacostia to catch a flight to Iraq. Abby, I need you to keep Ducky informed for me. And McGee, can you continue to work on the facial recognition from your laptop. Ziva I need you to gas the car. We leave in fifteen."

"Boss" McGee answered "I can but it might take a while. I think it would be a lot quicker if Abby did it herself. It will be so much quicker since she'll have access to AFIS. And besides she can call us then she gets a match. Right Abby"

"Yes I can." Abby chimed up "I can. Gibbs I'll call you guy as soon as I can get a match."

"That's fine Abby." Gibbs replied "Good work both of you. And Abby we'll call you as soon as we get to Iraq."

Abby smiled but didn't say anything. She knew that Gibbs would bring him back somehow or another. She wiped a new start of tears away as she started running the pictures through AFIS. She was determined to get a match.

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Anacostia

The ride to Anacostia was a long one even though Gibbs was driving. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Even Ziva and McGee were silent. Finally they arrived. Gibbs hopped out and announced that he would try and make contact with one of the FBI agents that he was in contact with earlier. Agent Jensen was the only one that Gibbs had a cell number for. Gibbs tried to reach him but was not able to get through. Now even Gibbs was starting to panic a bit. He knew that one of the possible reasons could have been that he was searching an area where there was no signal. Regaining his composure Gibbs gruffly barked at Ziva and McGee.

"It's time to leave. Go and grab your gear and we'll be off."

The plane took off fifteen minutes later. Gibbs was hoping that they had made it in time. Before their flight took off, Gibbs took a few minutes to call Fornell and have him try and contact Tony's FBI contracts there in Iraq. Fornell assured Gibbs that he was sure that there was a very good reason for not getting in contact with the agents and that he was sure that they were waiting till they were in the clear first. For the first time in what seemed like months Gibbs finally was able to close his eyes. He had noticed that both McGee and Ziva had also fallen asleep.

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Iraq (About five miles from the airfield)

Tony tried to move again but his shoulder wasn't allowing him to do too much more than to sit around and wait for help. He was finally able to wrap his arm with a bandage after he cleaned his shoulder wound out. It took all of the energy out of him. He tried to call his contact but all he ever got was voicemail. Tony was worried that maybe they had left without out him or that they had intentionally abandoned him. It wasn't the first time he had suspected the other agent of possibly working for Captain Reynolds.

As Tony sat there waiting for a miracle, he went through all the evidence that he had against Agent Carlson. For nearly an hour he sat quietly trying to remember all of the important points. But his shoulder was throbbing so badly and he was so thirsty that he felt like he was going to pass out again. He wanted to leave and maybe try to go back to the base. He knew that Reynolds was probably on his way back to the United States or into hiding somewhere he could never be found. He finally gained his resolve and started to pull himself up.

As he was about to stand up, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the outside of the building. He suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline and was able to stand up. He pulled the tarp that he had found to cover his gear up and took off toward the other side of the building. He had been running for a few minutes when he noticed that he could no longer hear the footsteps. He stopped and slid down the wall as his energy was already drained.

Tony opened his phone up to check to see if he could get any cell phone reception. He was relieved to find out he had one bar. He tried calling Abby's phone but there was no answer. He laughed to himself at the thought of her dancing to the loud music. When her music was on even he couldn't hear his cell ringing. He tried Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva with no luck. He hoped one of them would check their phones and have Abby or McGee trace his cell phone call. Tony's shoulder felt like it was starting to bleed again. He pulled of the long sleeved shirt he had tied around his waist earlier. He had managed to tear the shirt into several strips. He tied them around the gunshot wound to try and stop the bleeding. It hurt like hell but at least he wouldn't bleed to death.

Tony was about to fall asleep when he felt his cell phone vibrate. Suddenly he was wide awake. Tony flipped open his cell phone to see that Abby had sent him a text. It said she noticed he had called. It also said that the team was on their way and that they finally had gotten a hold of Agent Jensen and that he was going to meet them as soon as their flight arrived. It also said that Abby loved him and that he was under orders to stay put. And also to send her a reply back so that way she would know that Tony was okay. He was about to reply when someone came up behind him. Tony jumped up sensing danger. Suddenly the world went dark. The attacker was unaware of the cell phone in Tony's hand.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter. Thanks so much for all of the reviews and alerts. They are very much appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gone

A/n here is the next chapter. I know it took a while to get it up. But here it is . As always please read and review.

Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva arrived in Iraq after a twelve hour flight. They were all exhausted after the events of the last couple of days. But their determination to find Tony was the only thing that was keeping them going. So when they saw Agent Jensen waiting for them, Gibbs was not surprised. Agent Jensen immediately approached Gibbs and shook his hand.

"Hello" He said as a way of greeting "My name is Agent Jensen with the FBI. I am one of Agent DiNozzo's contacts here in Iraq. I want to apologize for not getting there in time."

"I understand" Gibbs replied "Can you tell exactly what was going on? We were never given much information about exactly what was going on and what he was doing."

"I can tell you that everything was pretty much classified" Agent Jensen replied "I've been ordered to not say anything to you. But with the recent events, I don't think that it really matters anymore. What I can tell you is that we are investigating Captain Reynolds for selling weapons to Al-Qaeda. We also think that he had recruited others in his unit along with members of the local militia to sell the weapons. We also think that he was leaking valuable Intel to Al-Qaeda members there in Iraq. This is where your agent came in to play. We set him up as Sergeant Cooper, who had been recently transferred in from the States. We had him assigned as a platoon leader. We hope that this would put him in direct contact Captain Reynolds. We were lucky because the Captain approached Agent DiNozzo on his own. Things seemed to be going well. Tony was able to provide Intel back to us in a regular basis. Then two nights before he went missing, he called me and said that the meet was finally happening the day after. I told Tony that he could finally be home within the week. The next time I saw him was when we rescued him. Then when he didn't arrive at the airfield on time, I went to the apartment. I found blood everywhere and evidence of a struggle and a fire fight. I do have to tell you that I was told that Agent DiNozzo did a fantastic job. He saved more than a few lives and was very well liked. He was very believable. I wish I had more for you Agent Gibbs."

"Thanks so much for the information" Gibbs replied "What about Agent Carlson? Did Agent DiNozzo have much contact with him?"

"Yes he did" Agent Jensen mentioned "Then it seemed like after about a month they stopped. Tony started to come to me with all of the Intel and information."

"Did Agent DiNozzo have Agent Carlson's cell number or did he contact him some other way?" Gibbs asked.

"He did have Carlson's phone." Jensen answered.

"So when was the last time you spoke with him?" Gibbs asked again.

"Now that I think about it I'm honestly not sure." Jensen answered "It may have been a few days before Tony disappeared."

"Is there was any possibility that Agent Carlson had any contact with Captain Reynolds?" Gibbs asked.

"Not that I am aware of" Jensen answered "I just remembered that Carlson said that he would be gone for a couple of days. He said something about following up on some leads. You know what, I just remembered something. I just remembered reading something about Carlson. I think I remember. He was recruited by the FBI after serving in the Marines for seven years. I'm so stupid."

"Don't worry about it" Gibbs said "There was no way you could have known about it? I probably wouldn't have made the connection either."

The younger man shook his head. He missed something really big and it probably cost him and NCIS one of the best undercover agents he had ever worked with. He walked over to one of his file cabinets and pulled out a file. He walked back over to Gibbs and handed it to him.

"This is Agent Carlson's file" Jensen said "Maybe there is something in there that will help make a connection."

"McGee" Gibbs barked "I want you to call Abby. Have her pull up the service records for both Captain Reynolds and Agent Carlson. Ask her to check and see if they have ever served together. If they have, I need to know when and where it was. In the meantime, Agent Jensen, Ziva, and I are heading over to the base where Tony was at. Also, ask if she's got anything off of the facial recognition software from the apartment."

McGee went and called Abby to give her the instructions from Gibbs. He asked her to check the service records to see if she could find any connection between the two. He then asked her to get back with him if she found anything useful. She asked about Tony and McGee said no. Abby said that she had to get busy then quickly hung up.

Gibbs and Ziva were gearing up so that they could leave to go to the base. Gibbs turned to McGee.

"I need you to stay here and help Abby with the search."

Agent Jensen showed McGee to one of the desks so he could set up shop.

"The base" Jensen asked "The base is over an hour away, so we should get going before it's too late. It's not safe to be out at night. Snipers and ambushes seem to happen at night more and more lately."

Gibbs and Ziva grabbed their gear and started to follow Jensen outside. As they started out the door Gibbs turned back around to say something McGee.

"I need you to call us when you get any information."

"Will do Boss." McGee said.

McGee watched as they walked outside. He sighed and started back to his work.

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Marine base in Iraq

Gibbs, Ziva and Agent Jensen arrived at the base where Tony was stationed at. Ziva looked around and was amazed at the fact that Tony had lived here for so long. She had learned from Abby that he had actually started to fit in quite well. Abby also said that he enjoyed the challenge and liked what he was doing. Gibbs voice broke through Ziva's thoughts.

"Agent Jensen is going to take us to meet Tony's bunkmates" Gibbs announced "We'll have a chance to question them about Tony if we hurry."

Jensen led them to Tony's bunk where he had been staying. They walked inside to see two of them waiting for them.

"This is Agent Jensen. I am Special Agent Gibbs, and Officer David. We're here to ask you some questions about Sergeant Cooper. How well did you know him? And how well did he get along with the others?"

One of the men spoke up first.

"The Sergeant was very friendly. Though, he usually kept to himself. They said that he kept some photos on the other side of his bed. I didn't want to talk about them. But they were obviously very special to him. We assumed that they were of friends of maybe family. But like I said, he refused to talk about them. He made an excellent platoon leader. He was a natural at it. We also noticed that before he went on a mission or out on patrol, he would wear this one certain watch. He said that it was a good luck charm because he was wearing it when we were hit by a large mortar attack. Somehow we all survived it. So after that he always wore it."

"So how did the Sergeant get along with the others?" Gibbs asked

"He was friendly with everyone" One of the soldiers replied "He was one of the best basketball players in our unit. Everyone wanted to play with him and he always did. He said that it created good rapport."

"So what was his relationship like with the captain Gibbs asked "Did they get along okay??"

"They said that the Sergeant stayed away from the Captain at first. But they eventually seemed to have become friends. One of the men had noticed that the Sergeant had started to become a little uneasy around him. And at times they were a little bit hostile. The Sergeant seemed to be able to handle things with him though."

"Thanks for all the information and your time." Gibbs said "If I need anything else I'll let you know."

The men grabbed their gear and left to go outside. Ziva took the opportunity to do a once over of Tony's bunk. The first thing that she noticed was the collection of photographs on the wall next to Tony's bed. She saw a lot of pictures of the whole team. Some were recent ones that Abby must have sent to him. Others were older ones that he had brought with him. She rolled her eyes when she saw the pictures of herself. She pulled one off and confirmed that it had come from McGee. She would threaten harm to McGee for sending it to Tony after he was safe and at home. Ziva quickly turned around when she heard Gibbs calling her name.

"Yes Gibbs" Ziva answered

"I need you to finish searching Tony's bunk" Gibbs replied "I need to take a call from McGee. Let me know if you find anything important."

Gibbs stepped outside so he could talk to McGee.

"What have you got for me?"" Gibbs barked out.

"Uh, well" McGee stammered out "Abby is still running to photos of Tony's attackers at the apartment. She hasn't got any matches yet. But she is still working on it. He did find a connection between Agent Keller and the Captain. He said that they served two years before he was honorably discharged."

"McGee" Gibbs asked "I need you to keep looking around. I need to know what happened in their two years together."

"I'm going to call Abby and have her pull up their service records." McGee announced.

"Good job McGee" Gibbs answered "Tomorrow we are going to check out the apartment first thing in the morning. We'll see you in an hour."

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Unknown location

Tony felt a sharp pain in his head as he tried to sit up. He had no clue as to where he was and how he had gotten there. He remembered talking to Abby then everything went blank. He tried to check to see if he had any other injuries. He was sure that he had a concussion, but everything else was from earlier. Tony tried to stand up ,but his leg gave out. Tony slid down the wall again. Frustrated, Tony looked to see if there was anything that he could use to pull himself up on. He saw a window right above him. He was able to get up onto his knees. Thankfully he was tall enough to be able to pull himself up. When he started to stand up, the shooting pain in his leg almost knocked him down again. He stifled a cry has he finally managed to stay up. He pounded the wall when he realized that it was pitch black outside. The pain was getting unbearable, so he slowly slid back down the wall.

In a flash of memory, Tony remembered the cell phone in his pocket. He prayed that it was still on. Tony felt in his pockets and finally found it. He flipped the phone open and saw that he still had some battery left in it. He remembered that Abby had once told him that if the phone is on that he can be tracked by the GPS in his phone. He hoped that Gibbs was on his way to rescue him. All of a sudden, he thought that he heard footsteps coming toward him. Tony was silent in hopes that he wouldn't be noticed. Tony thought that he heard footsteps going away from him when he felt something whack him on the back of his head. Then everything went black again.

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Near the airfield

Agent Jensen, Gibbs, and Ziva walked inside with their gear. They noticed that McGee had fallen asleep at the desk that he had been working at. Gibbs decided to let him sleep a little bit longer before waking him up. In fact, they all needed to get some rest. Gibbs was about to ask where they could go to get some rest when Agent Jensen spoke up.

"I'll show you where you guys will be staying at while you are here. Then tomorrow I'll take you to the apartment. There might be come evidence that we missed. Knowing DiNozzo, he left some clue to his whereabouts."

Gibbs walked over to McGee and tapped him on the shoulder to wake him up. McGee jumped at first. He didn't realize that they were back yet.

"Sorry Boss." McGee said.

"Don't worry about it" Gibbs said consolingly "It's time to hit the rack. Come on and grab your gear."

McGee turned around and saw that Ziva was about to fall asleep. Ziva awoke to see that everyone was leaving. They all grabbed their gear and followed Agent Jensen to their quarters. When they got there, Gibbs thanked Jensen for all of his help. The two younger agents were asleep before their heads hit their pillows. It was Gibbs who was still awake. He hoped that Tony was still alive. And also that they weren't too late to catch whoever was after Tony. He wasn't about to let anything happen to him. He hope that tomorrow would provide the clues they needed to find him and bring him back alive.

A/n Thanks so much for all of the alerts and reviews. I plan on another next week if time allows it.

Sarah


	6. Chapter 6

Gone

Chapter 6

A/n Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I was struggling with really developing a good plot line but now I finally have some good ideas on a direction for the story. I wanted to say thanks for all of the reviews and alerts. I can't say how much they are appreciated. Sarah

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Base in Iraq

Gibbs woke up suddenly. He'd awoken with a very bad feeling that he just couldn't shake. He got up rubbing his eyes and decided that he needed a walk to clear his head. He walked around the perimeter of the base remembering his first time in Iraq. He was sure that Tony had felt the same way he did when he first arrived. Probably very nervous but excited at the very same time. He was incredibly proud of Tony. He was an excellent leader and from everything he was told, an excellent Marine. Gibbs checked his watch and realized that it was almost time to leave. Gibbs assumed that Ziva and McGee were waiting for him. Gibbs walked in to see them waiting for him.

"Grab your gear" Gibbs barked out "We're leaving in ten."

Ziva and McGee exchanged looks. They could tell that Gibbs hadn't had much sleep since Tony had disappeared. They both felt just as tired themselves even though they had finally gotten some rest. But what had concerned them the most was how hard Gibbs had been taking things over the last few days. Gibbs would never admit it but they knew how deeply he cared for Tony. When they both realized that Gibbs was behind them they both braced for head slaps that never came. Instead came the gruff voice again.

"Are you two going to stand here all day or are you going to get moving?"

"We're moving Boss." McGee replied as they were rushing out the door to keep up with Gibbs. Agent Jensen was waiting outside to take them into the city where the apartment was located at. They all climbed into the vehicle and made their way into the city after an hour drive.

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Apartment in Iraq

When they got there McGee and Ziva took in the building were the apartment was at. To both of them, it was like an Iraqi version of Tony's apartment. They followed Agent Jensen into the building and up the elevator. Finally they reached the floor where the apartment was at. Agent Jensen walked inside followed by the other agents. When they got inside they noticed that everything had been cleaned. They spread out to check each room noticing that it looked like someone had cleaned the whole place. All of the blood was gone from the floors and walls. The bullet holes in the walls were gone as was the furniture.

"Dam it" Gibbs yelled "All of the evidence is gone. How in the hell are we supposed find Tony now. Ziva and McGee, I need you to stay and search for any evidence that may tell us what happened or tell us where Tony went. Any blood splatter or fingerprints need sent back to Abby. And be sure to check all of the other rooms. Agent Jensen and I will go to the front desk to talk to the manager. We need to see if there is a record of everyone who comes into the building and in the apartment."

Ziva and McGee started their search while Agent Jensen and Gibbs went to see the manager.

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Downstairs

Gibbs and Jensen went down the elevator and into the lobby. Gibbs smiled to himself when he realized that this place looked just like Tony's place at home. Whoever set Tony up here must have known him quite well. This made him feel that Agent Keller was more involved by the moment. This worried him more than finding the empty apartment. Gibbs looked around and realized that Agent Jensen was already speaking to the manager.

"I am FBI Agent Jensen and this is NCIS Special agent Gibbs. We need to get some information about who rented this apartment. We also need to know if you keep a record of who goes in and out of each apartment. And if you do, we need copies of those records too."

"Let me check and see who rented the apartment if you give me a few minutes to check my records." The manager asked as he walked into another room. He came back a few minutes later with a file "The person who rented the apartment. Well, I don't see a name listed. All that I can see is that the apartment was paid for with cash and didn't sign a lease. Everyone who wants to go into one of the apartments must sign in to gain access to any of the apartments. Give me some time to check my logs to see who was in the apartment."

Gibbs thanked the manager for all of the information and left his cell phone number for the manager to call when he was able to pull up the logs for them. Gibbs and Agent Jensen finally made their way back up to the apartment. When they got back, McGee and Ziva were feverishly searching every inch of the apartment for any clue as to Tony's whereabouts. Ziva came out of the bedroom and asked for them to come inside. When they walked inside they all noticed that everything was still in place including some blood stains that had been missed.

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Apartment

"Gibbs" Ziva stated "They missed the bedroom. They were trying to hide evidence. Yes?"

"It does look like they cleaned the whole place to hide evidence" Gibbs confirmed "But why would they skip the bedroom and bathroom?"

"They must not have thought that it was necessary to clean in there" McGee answered "So they just skipped over it." McGee knelt down and saw that there was more blood on the side of the bed on the floor. On the side of the bed, there was a bloody handprint on the comforter.

"Boss" McGee said "There is blood on the floor and a bloody handprint on the comforter"

Gibbs walked around and shook his head when he saw the blood. He was thinking that if Tony was already injured that badly, they didn't have much time. Gibbs spoke up in a brusquer voice than he had intended to use.

"Ziva, I need you to collect the blood samples to send to Abby. McGee, I need you to bag up everything on and around the bed and check for anymore fingerprints."

Ziva was getting the blood samples when she got down on her knees to lift up the mattress. A few seconds later she pulled out what looked to be a watch. "This is the watch that Abby gave to Tony?"

"Yeah it is" McGee answered "Abby will be happy that we found it."

Gibbs replied with a "Good job" as they got started bagging everything up. Just as they were getting ready to leave, his phone rang. Gibbs took the call just to hear Abby's frantic voice on the other end.

"Abby, calm down" Gibbs said soothingly "Just tell me what you need."

"Gibbs" Abby exclaimed as she shouted over the phone "I got a hit. I was finally able to get a GPS fix on Tony's cell phone. I've triangulated a location that is about fifteen miles southeast of the airfield that Tony was supposed to have been picked up at."

Thank you Abby" Gibbs answered "I should tell you that Ziva found the watch that you gave to Tony. I think that tony would want it returned to you. I think that's why he left it where we would find it. Just in case something didn't allow him to make it back."

"Gibbs" Abby said matter of factly while trying to fight back tears "Don't you dare talk like that. You will bring Tony back. I know you will bring him back safely."

"We will Abby." Gibbs said in reply to Abby. Gibbs hung up his phone and turned to Ziva and McGee.

"That was Abby "Gibbs announced "She was able to triangulate Tony's location by using the GPS on his cell phone. Let's go bring him home."

For the first time since they had gotten the bad news about Tony, Gibbs finally felt relieved. Now, time was of the essence. Everyone hurried outside with the evidence. The evidence could wait until that had Tony back safely. Gibbs was positive that Abby would tell Ducky the good news. And Ducky would in turn share it with Director Vance. No one said anything, but it was obvious that the atmosphere was considerably lighter since the news from Abby came. Gibbs wanted nothing more that to be able to make the call to say that Tony was safe and that he was on his way home. An hour later they drove by the airfield and were close to the place where Abby said Tony was at. They finally reached the location and got out of the vehicle. They pulled on their vests and put in their ear wigs.

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GPS Location

Gibbs went in first, followed by Ziva and McGee. Agent Jensen came in right behind them. They split up so that they could search room by room searching for Tony. They had made it through half of the rooms when Agent Jensen called out.

"I found some blood on the floor and bloody footprints that look like they lead away from here and down the hallway and over to the other hallway on the other side."

Everyone pulled out their weapons and slowly made their way down the hallway. As they turned the corner they found more blood on the ground and all over the wall. Lying in a pool of blood. Pulling out a pair of gloves, Gibbs picked up the phone. He quickly picked up his own phone and dialed a number. When the other phone rang Gibbs felt the frustration increasing. Gibbs ran his hand through his hair and shook his head.

"I found Tony's cell phone."

Gibbs turned around and started to pound his fist against the wall in frustration. He would have broken his hand had Ziva not stopped him in time.

"Dang it Ziva" Gibbs said softly "We missed him again. We were to late again. And now there is a good chance that he is dead or seriously injured and there is nothing we can do about it."

Gibbs turned around to face Ziva. He was frustrated and Ziva couldn't remember the last time she had seen him so upset and sad. He usually only got this way when Tony was involved. She felt the same way that Gibbs did. She was sure that McGee and the rest of the team including Agent Jensen felt the very same way.

"Gibbs" Ziva said "We will find Tony. He is very strong. And I have a feeling that he is alive." Ziva came over and stood next to Gibbs so she could put her hand on his arm. He smiled and nodded a thank you for the support. Gibbs walked away so he could compose himself as Ziva left to go and stand by McGee. Ziva and McGee exchanged looks of understanding. They both knew that Gibbs thought of Tony as a son. They knew that he must be devastated right now. A few minutes later, Gibbs came walking back.

"McGee" Gibbs barked out "I need you to bag Tony's cell phone and blood samples to be sent with what we found back to Abby. And make sure that Abby sends us everything that she has on Agent Keller and Captain Reynolds."

Gibbs turned around to leave. The others followed Gibbs out so they could pursue or find any new leads.

NNNCCCIIISSS

Unknown location (One hour later)

Tony woke up again to another throbbing headache. He felt that his hands were tied and that he was blindfolded. He tried to move his feet but they were also tied up. His head was pounding so he was sure that he had another concussion. He something dripping down his face. He was sure that it was blood. He realized that he was in a whole hell of a lot of trouble now. He was wondering if Gibbs was even looking for him. He was hoping that his cell phone was still in his pocket. He was sure that Abby was tracking his location right now and that help was on the way. Tony stopped moving because he had heard the same familiar footsteps that he heard the last time everything went dark. He felt a blow to his head and two more to his side. He stifled a yell so that they wouldn't know he was in agony,

"Agent DiNozzo" The voice said "I was wondering when you would wake up. Don't you know who I am?"

Tony closed his eyes in panic. He was an idiot to not have suspected Agent Keller. Now he had taken Tony and probably would kill him. He just needed to wait till he was alone so that he could get his phone out to call for help.

To be continued……….


	7. Chapter 7

Gone

Chapter 7

A/n Finally, Chapter 7 is finished and up. I apologize that it took so long to get it up. Life and writers block kept me from taking the time to work through it. I plan on getting the other chapters up in a timelier manner. I also wanted to thank Crokettsgirl who was so wonderful in helping me with some ideas for the chapter and making it a lot better. Thanks so much and please read and review as always!!

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Abby's Lab

Abby was busy working in her lab. Well actually she was trying to keep herself busy by working in her lab trying to get through a backlog of evidence. She hadn't been able to touch it since Tony had gone missing. It had been over two hours since she had called Gibbs with the GPS coordinates off of Tony's phone and he still hadn't called. In a state of panic, she ran down to Autopsy. She was hoping that Gibbs may have tried to contact Ducky. Being in a state of panic, Abby ran all the way down to autopsy. By the time she got there, she was absolutely hysterical.

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Autopsy

Ducky and Palmer were enjoying some down time that allowed (them time) to catch up on paperwork that had been neglected lately. They heard the heavy footsteps coming from Abby's three inch heels before they heard her frantic voice. She burst into autopsy with tears in her eyes. Ducky immediately caught her before she tripped over a chair and quickly eased her into it.

"You must be worried about Anthony." Ducky said soothingly "Now young lady, I need you to calm down and catch your breath. I can't allow you to hyperventilate or anything like that."

"But Ducky" Abby stammered between sobs "It's like been over two hours since they went to get Tony. But Gibbs hasn't called yet. It's bad, very bad. I just know it, Ducky." Abby started to get back up, but only fell back into the chair, pulled her knees to her chest and allowed her chin to rest on them. She continued to sob, uncontrollably, her tears spilled down her face that left a trail of black. Ducky nodded at Palmer. Jimmy knew Doctor Mallard well enough to know what he wanted him to do. Palmer took hold of Abby's chair and carefully pulled it beside theirs.

"Abigail" Ducky called her name and hoped he got through to her. He watched as her eyes peeked up at the ME. "Dear girl, you need to calm down, this fretting will get you no where. You need to soldier up so that you can do the work required of you." He watched as Abby nodded that she understood. Ducky handed her some tissues and gently rubbed her back while she calmed down.

When Ducky was sure Abby had calmed down, he continued to speak. "Now my dear that is much better. I promise I'll call you if I hear from Jethro. Mr. Palmer will you please escort Abigail back to her lab. I believe it would be better if you stayed with her until we hear anything from Jethro. Can you do that for me please?" Ducky asked his young assistant.

"Yes Doctor Mallard." Palmer stammered as he helped Abby up from her chair in order to escort her back to the lab. He carefully put his arm around her should and maneuvered her into the elevator and then to her lab.

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Abby's Lab

By the time they got to her lab Jimmy had assured her that he won't leave. She had been quiet throughout the trip. She had listened to the young ME. She knew if someone stayed her that she'd be alright. Once in her lab with Jimmy and her babies she was back to herself.

Abby needed to keep her mind busy, so she started back to work on the neglected evidence. She had worked for about twenty minutes when she heard McGee's voice behind her. Abby turned around and stood next to Palmer so they could hear what McGee had to tell them.

"Jimmy" McGee started, "I need you to go and get Ducky right away. Gibbs wants to talk to all of us, right now." Abby exchanged a worried look with McGee. He met her eyes with reassurance that kept her calm.

"I'll go and get Doctor Mallard right now." Palmer agreed. He knew that McGee would stay next to the monitor to wait for them and keep Abby calm. He felt he needed to mention this, if only to reassure himself, "McGee, could you please keep an eye on Abby?"

"Of course I will, Jimmy. Abby and I will be fine. Now can you hurry up and get Ducky?" McGee stayed where he could keep an eye on the forensic scientist while he asked once again for Palmer to get Ducky.

Palmer hopped out of his chair. He looked over at an unhappy Abby, but he knew she was in the best hands. He left the lab and returned with the ME several minutes later. They all knew how much Abby worried about the team. Any time something happened each agent knew they would get a huge hug followed by worried rambling from her. They all stood by the young upset woman in support. They all knew how much she loved Tony and knew their support would help her do what she needed in order to do her job and (bring) him home.)

As if on cue Gibbs and Ziva's faces appeared on Abby's computer screen. Gibbs quickly composed himself before speaking. "We found the place where the GPS location showed DiNozzo was at. But when we got there all that we found was his cell phone lying on the ground. We searched every inch of the building that we could get into but we couldn't find him" Gibbs explained to his team.

"Jethro" the elderly medical examiner stated "This is not very good, is it?"

"No it isn't" Abby shouted in despair, "Gibbs, you were supposed to find him."

"I know Abby" Gibbs told her. He felt he'd disappointed his favorite forensic scientist. That only made him even more determined to find his missing agent. He was worried, but wouldn't let it show as he often did, "I am having one of the FBI techs send the prints we got off of the cell to you right now. I need you to calm down so you can help me out here. I need you to run the prints through AFIS and any other data base so we can catch the bastards who took DiNozzo."

"What can I do Jethro?" Ducky asked.

"I need you to stay here and talk to Vance as soon as we're done. And Abby, call me as soon as you get any hits. Okay? I have to go before we lose the connection. We'll let you know when we get anything new." Gibbs knew everyone including him was worried about Tony's safety. So he made sure when he passed on his orders they weren't as terse as usual.

The connection broke off and left the four people to stare a moment at the blank screen, digesting what they were told. Abby jumped when she heard the beep that sounded the arrival of the prints. She wiped her eyes with determination that she would help find Tony. "I gotta get to work. Tony needs me." She shooed the men away and after a rousing oratory to her babies, got back to work.

Abby had been working for about an hour under Palmer's watchful eye. She had not only made it through the backlog of work but also managed to start running the prints from Tony's cell phone through AFIS and other agencies. She was thankful that Jimmy was willing to sit with her, it helped to calm her down enough to focus on finding Tony. With a deep sigh, she clicked the remote and cranked her music up. The music always helped her focus, especially since she needed to find her closest friend. She reached to take a large gulp of her Caf Pow and noticed it was empty. She tossed the cup into the garbage with a loud thump and then turned around to look at the younger man behind her.

"I need a Caf Pow, now" Abby demanded "My babies and I have a lot to do. So go now and get me one before I have to come after you!" Abby started to chase after Jimmy like Tony used to do. She laughed when he nearly fell off his chair as he tried to rush out the door. An hour later she realized that she wasn't going to get a hit on the international database of felons. She remembered that the agents who were supposedly watching Tony's backs were FBI. With a loud whoop that nearly caused Palmer to spill the Caf Pow on the ground, she slapped herself. She'd had it all wrong from the start. She'd have to narrow the search from the FBI. She'd had it running, but had paid more attention to AFIS.

"Jimmy" Abby said after taking a gulp of her Caf Pow "I've been going about this all wrong. The men that were watching Tony in Iraq were FBI Agents. Gibbs mentioned that one of them knew and served with Captain Reynolds."

"What you should be doing" Palmer said before seeing the glare in the young Goth's eyes "I should shut up." He answered the nod of her head.

"No" Abby exclaimed as the idea flashed in her head, "I think I know what you're thinking. I should have been checking the FBI and Military databases more closely. "To do that I'm going to also include retired military personnel."

"Well, I guess that was exactly what I was thinking, Abby." Palmer said with a smile.

"You do know Jimmy" Abby smiled "You can go now. I'm fine and I don't need someone watching me."

"I can't" Jimmy stammered "Doctor Mallard gave me a direct order to stay here with you until further notice. And in case you haven't noticed, I have a gigantic stack of paperwork he left for me to do."

Abby snorted as she punched him in the arm. Secretly she was grateful that he was going to stay. After an hour of checking through all of the military databases and federal ones more closely she finally found a match off one of the prints. She was shocked and angry to find out that it was one of the men who were supposed to protect Tony. Abby slammed her mouse back down on the table and started to pace the length of the room. Jimmy had just lifted his head back up and noticed the look of complete anger in her eyes. He jumped up to go and comfort her but she quickly brushed him away with her hand.

"Abby" Jimmy said "What's wrong? Did you get a match off of the prints? Let me go and get Doctor Mallard, okay?"

"No" Abby snapped "I am just angry right now. I know that one of the prints belong to Agent Carlson. He was Tony's friend and he betrayed him. Jimmy, pay attention, he is one of Tony's captors."

"Are you sure Abby?" Palmer asked "I mean he could have borrowed his cell phone and that's why his prints are on it."

"No Jimmy" Abby shouted "McGee told me that they suspected that Agent Carlson was a buddy of Captain Reynolds when he was a marine. Agent Jensen and Gibbs both suspect that Agent Carlson is on Reynolds' payroll. I really think we need to call Gibbs right now." Abby was about to stand up and give Palmer a hug when she noticed someone standing in the doorway. Palmer about fell off his chair and Abby almost dropped her Caf Pow. Both realized the person in the doorway was Director Vance.

"Miss. Scuito" Vance asked "I came by to find out if there were any leads on where Agent DiNozzo is.) And why haven't I heard from Agent Gibbs yet? I want a full report. I did hear what you had said."

"Director Vance." Abby said with surprise. "I do have a lead" Abby stammered "But I was going to call Gibbs and let him know."

"Why don't you give me that report? Then we can tell Agent Gibbs together." He asked patiently. This wasn't really a question or suggestion; it was more of an order. Vance hated being kept out of the loop. Now he would find out everything and speak to agent Gibbs.

"Well" she stammered again "Tony, I mean Agent DiNozzo wasn't where the GPS on his phone said he was supposed to be. Gibbs told me they searched through the parts of the building that were unlocked but he wasn't anywhere." Abby had taken a quick glance to make sure Palmer hadn't had a panic attack at the sight of Vance, like she almost did. He had left his seat, probably to go and get Ducky.

"So they searched the whole place?" he asked again "Was there any sign of blood or fingerprints other than what was found on the cell phone."

"There weren't any" Abby answered back "They double and triple checked according to Gibbs. But I did get a hit off of one of the fingerprints."

"Who do the prints belong to?" Vance interrupted.

"They belong to Agent Carlson" Abby said cautiously as she glanced behind her to see if Jimmy was back "Tony told me early on in his assignment that he and Carlson had become close friends. Now his prints show up on Tony's phone. It can only mean one thing……"

"That he is one of Agent DiNozzo's captors. Agent DiNozzo is in a lot of trouble. I need you to contact Agent Gibbs immediately." Vance speculated and then took charge. He never liked how Gibbs challenged him in the game of who was in charge. Though Vance knew of what happened to DiNozzo, he wasn't happy that Gibbs had more control over the situation. Being the Director, Gibbs was supposed to keep him abreast of the situation and not just order his people without the director being fully involved. He put this aside in order to get back to the case. He wondered if their pissing match would ever stop, if Gibbs would ever fully trust him.

Abby gave her acknowledgement as she saw Palmer quietly come back in with Ducky. Abby quickly turned back to her computer and switched on the connection to where Gibbs, Ziva and McGee were at. After a couple of minutes Abby saw McGee working feverishly at one of the computers. Clearly no one had noticed the active connection from the other end. "McGee." Abby said softly to try to get the man's attention without scaring him.

Abby noticed that he had just realized the connection was up. He smiled at Abby before he stepped away from the camera. A couple of minutes later he was back with Gibbs and Ziva.

"Gibbs" Abby announced "It's so good to see you guys. It's been so lonely down here. I have to even go and get my own Caf Pows……"

Gibbs glared at Abby so she would stop rambling. "What do you have for me Abbs?"

"Gibbs, you know I was just saying hi" Abby smirked, "But I did get a hit off of one of the prints. I just filled Director Vance in about the case. I also told him who the fingerprints belong to."

"Jethro" Vance said "Miss Scuito just informed me that they belonged to FBI Agent Carlson. And I understand that he and Agent DiNozzo had been working together very closely. Is that correct?" Vance stood scrutinizing his agent as he waited for his answer.

Gibbs started to pace in front of the camera. "Yes. According to Agent Jensen the two had worked very closely together throughout this whole operation. We suspect that Agent Carlson and Captain Reynolds both served together before Carlson joined the FBI. Now we believe that he is on Reynolds' payroll. We've been trying to follow up on any possible connections between the two. Agent Jensen has been checking with his contacts to find anyone who can confirm anything related to both of them."

"Ah Jethro." Ducky suddenly jumped in, "If you could send me everything that you have on Agent Carlson. I will try to put together a profile on him."

"Thanks Duck, that'll help." Gibbs answered.

"Jethro" Vance spoke up, "Keep me apprised of what else you find out. Now, you said that you checked all of the open parts of the building?" The director reiterated.

"We did" Gibbs answered the Director and then turned to Abby. He knew that Vance wouldn't leave until the connection was disconnected so he wouldn't miss anything else in the case. "And thanks Abbs for all of the work you've done. And don't worry. I promise that we'll find him. Duck, I'll have McGee fax everything we have on Carlson over to you."

Abby smiled as she watched the connection cut off. She felt better when Gibbs had promised to find Tony. Gibbs never went back on a promise. But she still had work to do. She turned to Palmer to get her another Caf Pow and then realized he had put one down on the table. She turned and smiled at him as a thank you while she began to work on what needed to be done.

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Iraq

Gibbs watched as the connection faded. He didn't want to say anything, but he was sure he knew where Tony was. The others started to speak when his steel glare put an end to their questions. How could he have missed where Tony was? He chastised himself for not realizing this earlier.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Gone

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Iraq One half hour later

Tony had been sitting quietly for about an hour trying not to attract any attention. He couldn't see the two men that held him captive. Instead he used another sense, his hearing. By listening to their voices, he was surprised that he knew who these men were. After he'd figured out who the men were, the next step was to get his hands free and to also get the blindfold off. By then he would be able to get his cell phone and contact the one person that would rescue him.

After Tony heard the sound of footsteps leave, he knew it was time to put his plan in motion. The problem was how to break free of the ropes. After trying to loosen them, he realized that they needed to be cut off and he couldn't get to his knife. He was going to have to find some other way. After feeling around for a while, he felt something sharp coming out of the wall. He listened for a few seconds to make sure that his captors were gone. He then started to rub the thick ropes. Sweat ran down his face, but he didn't give up. The ropes were finally cut after what felt like forever. Tony rubbed his wrists without letting the robes fall off. He needed to get some circulation going to rid him of the numbness.

Tony thought that he had heard the now familiar footsteps coming back toward him. Not realizing that he was so close to the razor sharp edge of the wall, he accidentally sliced the side of his arm. He started to yelp, but bit his lip to keep from making any noise. Despite the throbbing pain and the fact that he could feel the blood flowing freely from his arm, he was able to remain silent. He could hear the voices of his captors even though he couldn't see them. He discretely pulled at his hands to see if they were loose enough to slip out of the ropes. If he could, then he may have a chance to pull the blindfold off and cut the ropes holding his feet together. Unfortunately, he realized that the ropes needed just a little more work in order to free himself. Tony wouldn't let that stop him; he was to close to being free.

Tony had cut most of the ropes free. He fell to the ground in his attempt to get the last of the ropes and his hands totally free, that's when strong hands pull him up and shoved him up against the wall. He yelled out when he felt the sharp edge he was using slice into his back.

Agent DiNozzo" the man said "Glad to see that you are finally awake."

"Yeah, I was kinda tired of sleeping so you can just shut up with the obvious." Tony told the man, not able to keep the sarcasm that always got him in trouble from slipping out of his mouth. He braced himself from the anticipated blow to his body. Instead the man threw him against the wall again. The hard concrete that smacked against his head sent white light and exploding pain through out it. Tony quickly recovered from the hard blow not wanting them to see how badly it affected him. '_Great, by the way I feel, I lost more blood than I thought and with the pain and nausea I once again have a concussion.'_ He angrily thought. Tony wanted to take down the two men and tell them he knew who they were. The weakness and symptoms he was experiencing made him close his eyes.

"DiNozzo" Captain Reynolds yelled while grabbing hold of Tony's injured arm "You're certainly not in a place to be making any smartass comments right now. Are you?"

Tony gritted his teeth to keep from yelling out again. "Captain Reynolds." He growled as the other man squeezed the injured arm even harder. Tony did his best to hide the pain, they didn't need to see it or the slight weakness the engulfed him.

"Well I see that you've finally recognized my voice, Agent DiNozzo." Reynolds growled.

"I do" Tony snidely told him with a smile "And you do realize that the FBI and NCIS are going to hunt the two of you down, right? Oh and you can tell Agent Carlson that I know he's the one who gave me up to you. Are you a betting man, Reynolds? 'Cause I'll bet you that Agent Jensen will want to personally hunt him down. I sure hope that I can be around to see that happen."

Tony was rewarded with a hard kick to his side. He was absolutely furious at the moment. There was nothing he would like more than to take them both down. He was absolutely pissed off and wanted answers. He'd do whatever it took to get those answers. The adrenaline that was coursing through his veins allowed him to ignore the throbbing pain in his arm, back, and head.

"So how did you find me out Reynolds?" Tony asked the question he already knew the answer to. "My cover was airtight. There were only two people besides me who knew about my cover, Agent Jensen and you, Agent Carlson." Tony gave them a sardonic smile. "Well, since you are here and Jensen isn't, I'd say it was you. But why on earth would you ruin your life." DiNozzo stated scornfully, "Oh why not let Reynolds answer that one."

"We actually served together in the first Gulf War" Captain Reynolds answered "We became close friends during the two tours together. After that we were never together in the same place. I had been finally promoted to First Lieutenant when I learned Agent Carlson had joined the FBI. By that time I had made friends with the local El Qaeda forces here in Iraq. Since I was careful and very good at covering my tracks, no one suspected. Well I finally came home and started to look into Carlson's background. I learned that he had been taking kick backs from a local drug dealer that he had taken down. When I came home last year I approached him and threatened to go to the FBI with the information that I had learned. I knew that money must have been what he was getting. As a matter of fact I had some nice little videos of all of this. Having the connections that I do can be nice. Like a baby, Agent Carlson begged me not to run to the FBI. I told him I wouldn't, under one condition. He would be working for me now."

Tony couldn't believe his ears. How could the person who he considered a close friend be another person he would have to arrest? He thought for a moment and then knew he'd seen it so many times before, when he was in the police force and with since he'd been with NCIS.

"Tony" a voice said from behind him "I am so sorry. I tried to stop him. I swear I did."

"Shut up Carlson, I've heard it all before." Tony spat out "You're a damn traitor. I should have you thrown away for life right now. But I want Jensen to be the lucky one to do it while I get a ring side seat and watch."

"Tony, I swear that I tried to keep you from getting involved." Carlson pleaded "Captain Reynolds heard me mention your name on a phone call. I don't know how he found out who you really were. I thought this was one thing he wouldn't try and mess up."

"I don't give a damn" Tony said while he worked to control his breathing. His arm was throbbing, his head ached and he felt some dizziness. "I just want you to be quiet. You disgust me."

He heard the footsteps he knew to be Agent Carlson's leave the room. The door banged loudly and made his head ache worse. He waited a few seconds to regain his composure before he spoke again. "So tell me Captain. Or should I say ex Captain Reynolds. Tell me how you found me out, or actually when you did." Tony wanted the answers to all his questions but even more he wanted to stall for time in hope that someone would find him. Tony knew if he wasn't found now, he'd be found dead.

Tony braced himself for another blow of some kind. It didn't come which he was so grateful for. "I think **you** need to shut up now" Reynolds spat out "You are asking way too many questions….."

Tony quickly interrupted him. "If you don't tell me I am going to call Agents Gibbs and Jensen and let them know where we are. Then the two of you will be immediately arrested and I'll be free. And I am sure that you don't want that to happen." The punch to Tony's stomach finally came. This time it knocked the wind out of him. Tony fought to catch his breath as Reynolds started to speak again.

"I'll give you what you want then I'll kill you" Reynolds sneered "I didn't like you from the start. You were new and everyone liked you. I was furious since I had been fighting to gain the respect of my men. How you had gained it was beyond me. So I decided to have a little bit of fun with you. You do remember that first mortar attack on your first patrol. Don't you?"

Tony thought back to the incident which caused him to wear Abby's gift like a good luck charm. Also, Tony realized that his blindfold had fallen down his face due to the force of the blows he took. He then pulled it down to lay around his neck.

"Yeah I do. The attack nearly killed me and all of my men. It was a miracle that we made it out alive. I bet you had something to do with it." Tony leered at the captain.

"I did" Captain Reynolds answered the agent. He fought the urge to beat the man to a pulp and kill him, right there and right now. Nothing would please him more at this moment. Only he knew he had to hold off for the time being. "But you and your men made it out alive. I got into trouble and you received the first of many commendations. Then you started to try and get close to me. At first I thought it was a subordinate trying to get to know their superior. But you were asking too many questions. That was when I overheard the conversation between Agent Carlson and whoever he was talking to. I should have suspected something. But you were way too good. You know what? If I wouldn't have been spying on Carlson, I would have believed you were a true marine. I would have set you up to die and no one would have been the wiser."

"But why would you want to get rid of me?" Tony asked "I was nothing to you." He continued to egg the captain on to give him more time and get his answers.

"You were at first" Reynolds answered "But when I heard Carlson slip and mention your name I knew that you needed to be taken care of too. You were the one person who could have ruined everything for me. I wasn't about to take that chance. So the little excursion you went on to rescue those people was created by me. You were supposed to have died. I told my El Qaeda friends to eliminate you. Instead, you again saved lives and received more commendations. I took the blame and had yet another mark on my record. And it was all because of you,_ Agent DiNizzo._ So I arranged the little meeting with those gun buyers in hopes of taking care of things there. Well it sort of worked. You were found and taken back to the apartment to get rescued. I suspected that Carlson was the one who informed the FBI of your location. I found out that they had taken you back there with instructions to move you out and away safely. So I set up for my men to eliminate you there. But somehow you managed to take all of them out. But with a stroke of luck you didn't make it to the airfield." Reynolds shook his head incredulously and let out a loud sigh at all the foiled attempts and how they had backfired on him. Now, with this stroke of luck he'd be able to take care of Tony himself.

"I know the rest" Tony said wearily. He wasn't doing so well. He saw the narrowing of his vision and recognized how much weaker he felt along with the still present nausea. He knew if this kept up it would only be a matter of time before he passed out. Being so stubborn he kept going on with his game plan and again hoped that someone would find him before it was too late.

"I made it halfway to the airfield when you and your men started shooting at me. My tire was shot out causing me to wreck. The next thing I remember was being locked up in a room sort of like this one. You do know that no one likes you. Your men have no respect what so ever for you. But at least they had one person to look up to. It was me and I wasn't even an actual marine." Tony goaded._ Maybe this isn't the smartest thing I've ever done. I just can't help the need to get this out, to be a smart ass. I know it gets me in trouble, but I need this bastard to know. _

"I only did what I had to do, Agent DiNozzo" Reynolds answered as he walked over to give him another kick to the side "You need to shut up that smart ass mouth of yours and learn to show me some respect here. I am your superior right now. I can truly say that you are definitely not in a place to be making any demands at this point." The captain stated curtly.

"You think you are the one in charge here?" Tony asked with a gasp. He had to hold on, but the pain, blood loss and concussion had started to push him towards the loss of consciousness.

Tony quickly pushed on. He needed the advantage and fought hard not to pass out "Well you are wrong. I am. If I die, I guarantee you that Agent Carlson will immediately rat you out. After how he tried to help me before you think at this point he's worried about his career. And you know they might give him a lighter sentence if he does. They'll find you so quickly that you won't know what hit you. You have to keep me alive in order to keep control of the situation."

Tony hoped he'd get out of this and that the words he said would buy him more time. He had been working to free his hands once again. His injuries were slowing him down physically as well as mentally. He knew that he would have to push his body and mind to work more quickly or he'd die in this prison hole that he was trapped in. He'd about wiggled his arms around enough to try and slip them through when a final blow to the head caused the darkness to drag him away to nothingness.

"Shut the hell up, DiNozzo." Reynolds spat out with a laugh as he kicked him in the head.

Tony didn't hear the laughter coming from Captain Reynolds as he left the cold dark room.

He also didn't hear the door opening about ten minutes later. The man hoped that the young agent was still alive. The first thing he did was check for a pulse. He noticed that he had one. The pulse was weak, but it was there. He'd have to get the man help in order to survive.

"Damn it DiNozzo" the man whispered "I don't know how you do it. No one I know could have survived a beating like the one you just took. But I can't just let you die here. I remember you telling me the only way you could die was if Agent Gibbs gave you permission to. So you can't Tony. Maybe later you will understand why I did what I did. Please forgive me and make sure Jensen knows too. The man thought and wished he could tell these words to the agent. Tony was stubborn and maybe that's why he had survived, he only hoped that the stubbornness would hold until Tony got the help he desperately needed.

He quickly cut the rest of the ropes that bonded his arms and legs. He then untied the blindfold from the agent's neck. He turned the agent over and cringed. Tony's very bruised and bloodied face was revealed. He pulled out the first aid kit and cleaned the younger man's face off. He then worked on cleaning the nasty wound to the arm and hoped infection wouldn't set in. He then put a temporary bandage on that arm. After checking for Tony's cell phone he realized that it wasn't there. He quickly pulled his out and slipped it in the back pocket of the badly injured man. He hoped it would help Tony call for help from Agent Gibbs. With everything packed up he quietly slipped out the door.

If Reynolds ever found out what he had just done, he'd be dead within the hour. Being careful not to make noise he unlocked all of the doors that led to the outside world. He could at least make it easy for his friend to escape. He stepped out into the blinding sunlight and cautiously checked to make sure he wasn't being watched. He reached into the back of the jeep and pulled out a cell phone from his bag. DiNozzo had always told him to be prepared. It was something about these rules that Agent Gibbs had taught him. After that he was usually always prepared. He pulled out a number and quickly dialed it.

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Marine base in Iraq

Everyone had been working frantically after the conference call with Vance and Abby had ended. Ziva and McGee were busy tracking down Agent Reynolds last known whereabouts. McGee had finally got a hit on Reynolds bank records. The Captain had been receiving over a hundred thousand dollars every month for over eight years. The young agent had put a trace on the account in order to track the origin of the money. But even he couldn't find the source. The money had been purposely funneled through many accounts and through many different countries so that the source would not be found. He finally had written a program that had started to make some headway. It was going to take at least a day, but they were closer than they were before.

All of a sudden a cell rang that caused everyone to stop in their tracks. Gibbs turned around when he realized it was his cell that caused the noise. He hoped it was from DiNozzo. Gibbs barked out his usual greeting. When the voice on the other end announced himself Gibbs almost dropped his phone and coffee on the ground.

"I'll be back soon." Gibbs hollered as he ran from the building. _Damn it, I had a gut feeling I knew where Tony was. I was going to leave in a few minutes. Why didn't I just leave when Vance and Abby signed off? _He chastised himself and let his legs move him quickly to the jeep.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Gone

A/n Sorry that it took so long for the chapter to get up. I blame life as always. The next chapter should be up a lot quicker since it is already half written. Thanks also for all of the reviews and alerts. They are so much appreciated. And thanks to Crokettsgirl for helping with ideas for this chapter and for making it better. And now for the next chapter. Sarah

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Base in Iraq

Gibbs ran outside leaving the three people in the room shocked. He knew that there would be questions, but he needed to find out what was going on first. He jumped into the jeep and sped off to where he was supposed to meet the person that had been on the other end of the phone.

Gibbs was elated at the prospect of actually finding Tony. He felt guilty that he had allowed his Senior Field Agent to be a part of this blunder of an op. He wanted to kill this man. Gibbs knew he'd do anything in his power to force the location of his agent out of this man. Suddenly, he tugged at the steering wheel and pulled the jeep to the side of the road. Once the jeep had stopped he pulled out his cell. Quickly, he dialed the familiar number and hopped she wasn't gone for the day.

"Abby Scuito." the voice on the other end answered. "How can I help you?"

"Abby, I need you to get a GPS fix on the last call made to my cell phone now!" Gibbs growled out impatiently

"Ok, Gibbs" Abby answered quietly. She knew better than to talk to her boss when he was this intense. He wanted an answer and he wanted it as of yesterday. She was used to this and rapidly typed on her keyboard to find him that answer. A quick hit to the enter button and the answer came up on her monitor. "Gibbs, that call came from the same location that Tony's phone was found at. Why? What is going on? Is it about Tony? Who called you? They must know where he is." The forensic scientist rattled off several questions. She didn't know if she'd get an answer, but she had to try. After all, this was Tony and she couldn't take the suspense.

"Abby" Gibbs answered "The call came from Agent Carlson's cell. Apparently, he claims to know where Tony is. He asked for a meet, alone. He said Tony's been badly hurt and he's snuck around to make sure that Tony stays alive. When I meet him he'll tell me where to find Tony. I need you to keep this quiet. Don't say a word to Vance until I know if this is real or just a setup."

"I will" Abby answered quietly "I won't tell Vance. I promise….."

"I promise what, Miss. Scuito?" a voice asked as he made his way into Abby's lab "Put Agent Gibbs on now!"

Abby quickly hit the speakerphone so that Vance could talk to Gibbs. She just about dropped the phone and almost disconnected the line. "Ah sure Director" Abby said as she regained her composure, "Gibbs, the Director wants to talk to you."

Abby let out a big sigh of relief. She hated when the director showed up unexpectedly. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately for updates on this case. The director's visits made her nervous and she hoped with Tony's return that he'd stay up in his office and not come down to her lab. More than anything right now, Abby wanted Tony to return, she missed him. She knew that Gibbs and the other team members wanted the same thing. She let out a sigh and then looked hopefully to the door for Jimmy to show up with her third Caf-Paw of the day.

"Agent Gibbs" Vance barked out "What is this about Agent Carlson? Am I right to believe you've located him?"

"I have Leon" Gibbs answered. He knew instantly where this conversation was going. "And, I'm going to talk to him right now."

"Jethro" Vance questioned "I am waiting for the part where you're going to meet him so he can be arrested by the F.B.I. Am I correct there?"

"I **am not** going to arrest him, Leon." Gibbs snapped back.

"Oh yes you are, Jethro" Vance told him with stern authority, "Either you have Agent Carlson arrested now or I will personally see that it gets done. And if Sec Nav hears about this, your future with NCIS will be in serious jeopardy." Vance clipped and folded his arms against his chest. He hated to threaten a good agent, but Gibbs gave him no choice in the matter. He was the director and he was tired of not only being left out of the loop, but also being challenged constantly by **his** agent.

"I can't, Leon. He knows where Agent DiNozzo is. If I arrest him or even try to, he'll be gone and then we may never find DiNozzo. I won't let that happen. After I get what I need from him Agent Jensen will take him into custody. You have my word on that." Gibbs answered with determination.

Gibbs was in a hurry and didn't need this argument right now. He knew he should have explained everything to Vance, even his suspicions. He would do it but, only after he got what he wanted. However, he was wasting precious time with this battle, he needed to leave. Gibbs kicked the jeeps door in anger, but it didn't make him feel any better. He was half convinced that this was a trap. Still, if it led him to DiNozzo it would be worth it.

"Jethro" Vance yelled "Either he comes back to the base with you now or I will go to the Sec Nav immediately." He pressured.

Gibbs didn't hear a word Vance said. His phone was already off as he was sped down the dirt road and on to the arranged place of the meet.

NNNCCCIIISSS

Abby's Lab

Vance was fuming as he slammed the phone down in anger and frustration. The noise made Abby jump and caused Jimmy to jump as he laid the Caw-Pow on the table. Jimmy was so scared that he nearly tripped and fell, when he quickly made his escape out of the lab. Abby felt so uncomfortable and nervous at Vance's show of anger along with being in her lab that she didn't notice his reaction to the ME's assistant. Vance's back was to Abby as he smiled and then let out a small laugh at the fact that Jimmy tripped and nearly fell to get away from him. When he turned and they came face to face, the smile was completely gone and replaced with a frown.

"Miss Scuito" Vance asked as kindly as he could "Get Agent Gibbs back on the phone now!"

"I will" Abby answered as she looked longingly at the Caf-Pow Palmer had left for her. She was so thirsty, but was afraid of what Vance would do if she took a drink right now. Abby grabbed her cell phone and dialed Gibbs number. She tried several times only to reach his voice mail. She left a hurried message that said he needed to call Director Vance right away. She even left a message with McGee that he needed to find Gibbs immediately or there would be hell to pay with Vance. She watched quietly as Vance stormed out of the room. She finally felt some relief when the director left. She eyed the drink on the table and) was able to take a huge gulp of the long anticipated Caf-Pow. She swallowed and thought how much better it tasted when it came from either Gibbs or Tony. She hoped Jimmy or Ducky would come back soon. Now she was not only worried for Tony but also for Gibbs. She missed them both so much. "I hope McGee can talk to Gibbs." Abby said to herself as she turned back to her babies.

NNNCCCIIISSS

The Meeting Place

Thirty minutes later the lead agent arrived at the place they arranged to meet. He saw a nervous man about DiNozzo's age waiting impatiently for him next to a fancy truck. Gibbs hopped out of the jeep and proceeded over to where the other man was at. Carlson jumped up and went over to shake Agent Gibbs hand. Carlson was surprised when Gibbs grabbed him and threw him up against the truck.

"Hey" Carlson said "I'm trying to help you out here. So what is the deal with you shoving me around?"

"Shut up" Gibbs hissed "You're lucky that I don't call the FBI and have you arrested right now."

The other man stepped back as Gibbs started to approach him again. "Hey Agent Gibbs, please let me help. It's my fault that Agent DiNozzo is in trouble and all I want to do is help."

Gibbs saw the frustration and despair in the other man's eyes and decided to back off in order to give him a chance to talk. "So where is DiNozzo? We searched every part of the building that was open and he wasn't there. Or did the bastard move him to a place where we wouldn't be able to find him?" Gibbs glared at Carlson.

"He moved him to the other side of the building" Carlson answered as he looked around nervously. He was paranoid that Reynolds would show up and kill him before he could do what he needed to. First he had to make sure his family would be taken care of and kept safe.

"You probably didn't find the area that Tony was in because it was kept locked by Reynolds. Captain Reynolds uses that part of the building for meetings and other business deals."

"Okay" Gibbs said a little more patiently "Can you show me where he is or at least tell me exactly where Tony is? We're running out of time here."

"I know Agent Gibbs" Carlson said wearily "But I can tell you where he is. You have to go around to the other side of the building past what used to be offices. There is a door there that is unlocked. When you go inside you have to turn right and continue on until you see the first door to your left. The door is open. Turn to your left and keep going till you see another closed door. Before I left Tony, I unlocked all of the doors so he would be able to find his way out. Go through the next three doors and then keep going until you can't go anymore. There is a room directly to the left of it. DiNozzo's is in there. Or at least he was where I left him."

Gibbs frustration level climbed higher. Right now all he wanted to do was demand that the other man take him to his Senior Agent, immediately. He studied the man's body language and sensed he was afraid. He didn't want to scare the man off before he was told everything that he needed to know. So he decided to take a calmer approach.

"Agent Carlson" Gibbs asked "Was DiNozzo okay when you left him? Was he hurt?"

"Tony was hurt pretty bad but, he was as okay as he could be under the circumstances" Carlson answered, "I went back and gave him the best first aid that I could. But I don't know how long he'll stay that way. I'm so sorry, Agent Gibbs. I should have stopped Reynolds. Now, DiNozzo for all I know could already be dead. And, it's entirely my fault." The man turned to walk away when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He jumped at first but turned around to see Agent Gibbs standing next to him.

"Thank you so much for meeting me," Gibbs stated calmly, he still saw how jumpy the other man was. "I will talk to my director and see what can be done about a lighter sentence. You've cooperated, which will help. I can't guarantee anything, but I will certainly try."

Carlson had gone back to his truck and started to draw something on a large piece of paper. When he was done, he turned around and spoke. "I sketched out a map so you can find the place a little better. And I untied him and slipped my spare cell phone in his back pocket. I charged it so he'll be able to call for help if he needs it. I appreciate the help Gibbs, but I am more than willing to take what is coming to me. I just need to know that you'll take my family and kept them safe. Can you do that for me, agent Gibbs?" Carlson pleaded with his eyes.

"Agent Jensen has already made arrangements to make sure your family is safe. Now, why don't you come in with me?" Gibbs explained and then pleaded. He knew Jensen would call the right people to keep this man's family safe. Now he needed this man to come with him so he also would be safe. "At least I can get you to a safe place where Captain Reynolds can't find you."

Carlson was about to answer when his cell phone rang. He took one look at the caller I.D. and knew he was in trouble. "I have to leave Agent Gibbs. Captain Reynolds knows where I am. He'll come after both of us and I can't let that happen to you. I have a place that I can go and hide at. I promise that I'll be safe there."

Gibbs tried to stop Agent Carlson from leaving, but the man had already gotten into his truck and started to drive off. He shook his head hoped that wherever Carlson went that it would be safe. There was nothing he could do at the moment but go get Tony. Gibbs jumped into his jeep and took to Tony's location. He wanted to be certain that the location this time was the right one.

NNNCCCIIISSS

Tony's location?

Thirty minutes later he pulled up to the large building and parked the jeep so he could check for any signs of trouble. When he didn't see any signs of trouble, he pulled out the map to see where the right entrance was. Gibbs hopped back into the vehicle and drove around to the other side of the building. He then quickly found the door that Carlson had identified on the map. Gibbs drove around the corner and parked. He sat there and studied the map for a few minutes. He was about ready to go inside when his cell rang. He was ready to ignore the call until he saw McGee's name on his caller ID. Gibbs quickly answered his phone.

"Gibbs." He answered gruffly.

"Uh Boss" McGee stammered "Director Vance and Abby have been trying to reach your for over an hour. And Boss, Vance sounded very angry. He said that you were to call him right away."

"I will McGee" Gibbs answered "And I know what he wants. If he calls again or if Abby does tell them that I'll have to call him back later."

"Are you sure Boss?" McGee questioned "Vance sounds furious."

"Do I stutter, McGee?" Gibbs said impatiently

"Ah, no boss." McGee answer cautiously.

"Good, because I know where DiNozzo is. Agent Carlson called and we met. He told me that DiNozzo is in the building where we found his cell phone. They moved him before we could get to him. I need you, Ziva, and Agent Jensen to meet me here now! I'll be waiting for you. I'll call Abby and let her know what is going on while I wait. Now get a move on!" Gibbs felt the agent needed to know some of what was going on and so did Abby.

Gibbs had heard sighs of relief in the background as he informed the others of the latest development. He smiled for only a moment as he hung up. He felt anxious to get to Tony. For the first time in several days all he wanted to do was let out a sigh of relief like his team. But he wouldn't until they had Tony and he was safe. Gibbs mood ran with too many emotions and he needed to find Tony, now. He didn't want to wait for the other's to get here and berated himself for not calling them on the way. He didn't want to go in without back up in case Reynolds and his associates were there. Well, he'd wait and see if he went in alone or not, it would all depend on the danger that surrounded him and DiNozzo. He took a drink of his luke warm coffee and dialed another number.

NNNCCCIIISSS

ABBEY'S LAB

"Abby Scuito" She answered brightly "How may I help you?"

"Abby" Gibbs answered with a smile "I need you to get Ducky so I can talk to the both of you at once. Now Abby!"

"I will Gibbs" Abby questioned "I'll call him up right now."

Gibbs listened to the conversation between his forensics expert and M.E. Abby was quiet for a couple of minutes until he heard Ducky's voice.

"Gibbs" Abby said "I am going to put you on the speakerphone so we all can talk."

"I think we've found DiNozzo" Gibbs announced "Agent Carlson told me where he is. I am at the building now; I have to wait for backup before going in. I'll call you and Vance as soon as we have Tony back safe."

Gibbs could hear Abby also Bert the Hippo making that farting noise in the background.

"Jethro" Ducky asked "Are you sure that it is Anthony? I mean the last time you thought that you had found him he wasn't there."

"I'm sure. Carlson wasn't lying to me this time I could tell. But I won't rest until I see for myself and get DiNozzo the hell out of there, alive." He stated adamantly.

Gibbs abruptly closed his phone with out a good-bye which was usual for him. He had seen the three people he was waiting for drive up. Now it was time to get DiNozzo and finish up this part of the mess. Afterwards they'd find Reynolds, if he wasn't already in there and then get Carlson. Then they'd close up this case at home.


	10. Chapter 10

Gone

Chapter 10

A/n I just wanted to say thanks for all of the reviews and alerts for the last chapter. I can't say how much it is appreciated. Please enjoy the chapter!!! Sarah

NNNCCCIIISSS

10 minutes before

Tony had finally started to wake up. The first sensations he felt was pain everywhere, especially in his head, back, shoulders and the bright light that burned through his closed eyelids. He automatically raised one of his hands to his face and realized his arms were untied and that the blindfold was gone. He slowly cracked his eyes opened. He quickly shut them again when the light caused his head to throb more. Tony knew he had to fight past the pain. He opened them again to see the light in the room where he had been kept. The light made his head explode in agony. He waited a moment to let his head settle. He then gradually tried to move into a more comfortable position which caused sharp pain in his back and shoulders. He moaned as he forced himself to push past the pain. That would be the only way he could move more freely. Tony knew he had to figure out where he was and the light would make it easier to escape. He had to get out of this place and was thankful that it wasn't dark in the room.

He moved his legs and realized that someone had cut the ropes around them. His first thought or hope was that Gibbs had come and freed him from the binds that imprisoned him. But he knew that it was just wishful thinking on his part. Tony looked around for something to pull himself up with when he bumped something cold with his arm. As he reached over and picked it up, he realized that someone left him a bottle of water. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had something to drink. He greedily took a couple swallows and felt the cool precious liquid flow down his parched throat. He knew better than to drink the whole bottle. He probably had a mild concussion and if he drank all that water he would only bring it back up, something he didn't relish. Knowing that he set the rest aside for later.

Now, Tony wondered who the mystery person was that had helped) him out. He knew it couldn't be Gibbs or someone from his team. He also knew that there was no way the help had come from Captain Reynolds. So that left Agent Carlson, because he was pretty sure that no one else would even have known where he was. He knew that due to Carlson's help that the man could already be dead. The thoughts he had were fuzzy, but deep inside he knew with Carlson gone there was no chance of rescue, he'd have to do that, himself.

Tony still felt lightheaded and dizzy from blood loss and the concussion. He continued to move around to find some thing he could use to pull himself up with. He finally was able to see a ledge that looked low enough to use. Tony grabbed a hold of the ledge with his good hand and started to pull himself up. The pain spiked and almost caused him to lose his balance and slide back down the wall. He again, ignored the terrible pain as he managed to make it to his feet. Once he was able to stand up and, stay up, he knew that he needed to find a way out of wherever he was and contact Gibbs.

Tony gave himself a few minutes to rest before he checked out the rest of the room. His hand, without a thought, went straight to his belt. He laughed at the forgotten rule number nine and unbuckled his belt to get the knife. He slipped the knife into his pocket and hoped to use it to pick the locks on the doors in the building and get out. When he walked over to the door he was surprised to find it unlocked.

When he started to head out the door he felt something hit his foot. Tony looked down to see a cell phone at his feet that clearly wasn't his. He automatically reached into his back pocket and for the first time he realized that his wasn't there. He felt light headed and nauseous again. This had him slump against the wall. He knew he couldn't sit down, because he'd never get up again.

Tony flipped the phone open and saw that it was a burn phone. He again wondered why someone would try to help him escape from the building. After he caught his breath and held back the nausea in the few minute he rested. He decided to try and find his way out. He stepped into) the hallway and noticed that there was enough light for him to be able to see where he was going. After he slowly checked several doors he finally found one that was open. He fought his fogged brain too slowly put two and two together. He realized that the open doors would lead the way out of the building. Tony went through the doorway and again checked more of the doors until he found the open one.

He went though several more doors before he had to rest again. He chose that moment to try and call Gibbs. Just as he brought the phone up to use it, he felt someone else was by him. He looked up and his stomach twisted when he saw the familiar face that appeared right in front of him.

NNNCCCIIISSS

Outside of the building

Outside of the building Agent Gibbs waited impatiently for his team and Agent Jensen to arrive. He was about ready call DiNozzo. He stopped when he heard) a vehicle pull up somewhere on the other side of the building. Gibbs cautiously walked around the corner and hid from sight. He noticed a car that looked very out of place. He wrote down the license plate number so Abby or McGee could run the number. His gut told him that Tony was in trouble and that Captain Reynolds was close by. Gibbs quickly ran around the corner of the building to find out who was inside. He was about ready to sneak inside, alone, when he heard another vehicle approach. Gibbs quickly turned around and pulled his weapon out. Three familiar faces joined him as they ducked along side of the building to keep out of sight.

"Boss" McGee said "Director Vance asked me to have you call him immediately. He suggested that you call him now or you'll be looking for a different job." McGee told his boss and knew what the answer would be, but he had to try one more time.

"Right now, we need to get inside and find DiNozzo" Gibbs barked out quietly, "I'll take care of the director later. Ziva you're with me, we'll head in this way," He then pointed out another door, "McGee I need you to go with Agent Jensen, go in through that way. Let's bring him home, now!"

NNNCCCIIISSS

Inside the building

Tony shook his head in surprise as he rested against one of the walls. He felt the betrayal of his weak body and cursed it. He also knew shaking his head wasn't a good move, that only made it hurt more, but he tried not to show it. Tony's turned to disgust when he stared into the eyes of the man in front of him.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Tony spat out the question, "You damn traitor."

At that moment he really wished he had his weapon. He would have loved more than anything to put a bullet in the head of the man in front of him. Right at that moment, a sharp pain in his side caused him to lose his balance. He fumbled around yet couldn't get himself stable. Just as his head was about to hit the ground he felt someone catch him and then carefully sit him on the ground. Tony opened his eyes and saw Agent Carlson standing in front of him. The man started to try and check the bandages on his arm and back. Tony immediately pulled away.

"Damn it DiNozzo" Carlson said "Let me help you out here."

"Why should I let you?" Tony snapped back with as much bravado as he could. He fought the waves of agony that went through his head and shot down his back and arm.

"Tony" Carlson pleaded "Look, I'm so sorry for what I did. But please let me help you out. I can get you out of here. But you aren't going to get out of here without help."

"No" Tony yelled "I can take care of myself. You're a damn traitor." Tony fought to get back up, he needed to get a hold of Gibbs or Abby for help. He shakily tried with everything he had to get up. Carlson tried quickly to help him, but it wasn't quick enough. Tony slid down the wall and hit his head.

Carlson bent down to check on him. He started to check his injuries once again. He pulled a bag out from behind him. Then he took off the bandages that covered the lump on the side of Tony's head as well as the shoulder and back. He shook his head when he saw that the gunshot wound on the shoulder had started to bleed again, he was also worried about infection.

"Damn you, DiNozzo" He scolded softly, "If you'd just let me take care of your wounds Id be able to get you the hell out of here."

Carlson paused as if he expected an unconscious Tony to respond. He quickly started to work clean the wounds and then re-bandage them. He then started to clean the caked on blood off the abrasions on the agent's face. While he gingerly kept working he noticed that Tony had started to regain consciousness. Carlson pulled his hand away. He expected the other man to panic and start to fight him. When Tony did open his eyes, instead he turned weakly to the man that he had considered a friend with a questioning look.

"Why are you trying to help me?" Tony weakly asked.

"Because I screwed up," Carlson answered and handed him a fresh opened bottle of water from inside of his bag, "Drink just a little, don't want you to puke." He explained and then waited until Tony had drunk a little bit of water before he continued to talk.

"If I hadn't done what I did last year Reynolds couldn't have blackmailed me. Then Reynolds would be in prison right now. I just want to help you DiNozzo and, get you back) to your team safely. I don't want to be responsible for you dying." Carlson sighed with shame at the truth.

"So you think that helping me out will make up for what you did?" Tony spat back, "I just want you to know that helping me out won't give you a get out of Jail free card." Tony admonished.

"Don't you think I know that?" Carlson pleaded with his friend, "If I was doing this just to help myself I wouldn't have gone to Agent Gibbs for help…."

"Gibbs knows where I am?" Tony interrupted while he tried to remain conscious.

"I called him to let him know exactly where you were in case I couldn't make it back."Carlson replied, "Reynolds knows what I have been doing by now. And I am sure that he is on his way back here or already is here looking for us. But we need to get you out of here now before he kills the both of us." He urgently told Tony.

Tony nodded wearily at his friend and allowed himself to be helped up. Carlson put his arm around Tony to help steady him as they hurried through the maze inside of the building. They were just about to turn one of the corners when DiNozzo turned around to see a gun pointed at them.

A/n I know it's another cliffhanger but I wanted to get something up this week. If I didn't there could be a long wait. Thanks again!!

Sarah


	11. Chapter 11

Gone

Chapter 11

A/n Sorry about the delay in getting the chapter up. But here it is. And a special thanks to Crokettsgirl for all her help.

"Captain Reynolds," Tony said with a snarl "I bet you are surprised to see me here. You actually thought that I'd just sit in that room and wait for you to come and finish me off later? Or do you think I'm that stupid." Tony looked at the captain, his head cocked while he hid the pain that weakened him.

"You don't really want me to answer that Tony, do you?" The captain continued to eye his prey before Tony could get another word out. The actions to answer Tony's questions came swiftly and were pushed by his anger.

Tony was caught off guard when his injuries wouldn't allow him to move fast enough to get out of the way from the quick kick Reynolds gave to his injured arm. He bit his lip against the terrible pain as he pulled himself up. Tony looked around to make sure that Carlson was okay. He hated that the man not only betrayed himself, but the F.B.I. as well.

However, Tony knew that Carlson probably helped save his life by coming back for him. He knew that the man could have left him to die and disappeared for good. He was thankful that he hadn't. Tony also knew that Carlson had risked a lot by his call to Gibbs. The thought of Gibbs gave him hope. The hope that his boss and the team would get there soon, he didn't know how long they could hold off Reynolds from killing them, or how they'd keep him there.

More than anything, Tony hoped there was a way to save Carlson's reputation. Yeah, the F.B.I. agent had screwed up big time, but he didn't want to see the man's family embarrassed or the man himself. Carlson's family would lose his pension if anything happened to him and if the F.B.I. found out that he was involved with Reynolds more than just with the undercover op. Tony wanted personally to try to have the man made a hero, regardless of what happened. A strange sound bought the NCIS agent out of her reverie and caused him to slowly turn around so he could see what that noise was.

Tony noticed that Carlson had left the room and that Reynolds hadn't realized. The F. B.I. agent appeared at a different door and kept a low profile. The man was good, a quick thinker, Tony thought with an internal smile.

Tony steadied himself and slowly slipped away from Reynolds line of sight as he anticipated Carlson's next move. Suddenly, Tony was knocked out of the way as Carlson launched himself into Reynolds. Tony tried to get up, but was light headed from the blood he'd lost as well as the concussion that still banged inside his head. His other injuries screamed throughout his body and made his knees buckle, until he met the floor.) All he could do was watch as Carlson and Reynolds struggled to reach the gun that had been knocked out of (his hand earlier. After he felt steady enough, Tony was able to get to his feet. He stood for a second to shake off the dizziness before he acted.

"Hey Reynolds" Tony said snarkily "Let Agent Carlson go. You know it's me you really want." Tony tensely called out in order to bait the captain.

"You don't know who I want, Agent DiNozzo," Reynolds answered, the look he gave Tony was dangerously filled with betrayal, rage and hate, "I want to get rid of both of you. You two have betrayed me and I can't allow you to get away with it."

"Reynolds!" Agent Carlson suddenly called out as Reynolds stood up and backed away which gave Carlson time to stand up. "You are trapped here. There is no way you are getting out of this room alive. There is a team of federal agents outside coming to arrest you as we speak. Right, Agent DiNozzo?" The F.B.I. agent waited for the NCIS agent to collaborate his story.

"That's Right" Tony answered with a huge smile on his face "I just hope I can be here when Agent Gibbs and the team arrive. The best thing about this, Reynolds, is that you're going down. That's right, the great and powerful Oz, that would be you, Reynolds. Who thinks he'll never be arrested. Well I have news for you. Agent Gibbs is better than you. He'll track you down, if by some chance you get away. Oh, he'll find you, there's no doubt about that, because he always gets his man, like the Mounties," Tony gave a leering smile, "Then he'll kick your ass until you whine like the wuss you are. And your men, what will they think of you then? Oh wait, I know, they'll see you as you are, a whimp that's nothing without his men that do his bidding. Then again, would they do that when they find out what a piece of shit you really are?" DiNozzo chuckled at the thought as he hid his pain and stared hard at the captain.

Tony watched as Carlson used the distraction to get closer to the weapon that lie on the floor. Tony didn't risk Reynolds seeing anything on his face as he locked eyes for a second with Carlson when Reynolds looked away. He knew what Reynolds was doing as the man work his way slowly to the other side of the room and towards the gun.

Tony used his belligerence as a distraction, even though he knew that a beating was on its way. That usually did when he acted this way. But this was the way he distracted people in order to save a team mate or anyone else in trouble. He continued to hone in on his skill that annoyed people and drew them to him and not anyone else. Again he had to laugh inside at this even though it wasn't something to laugh about, they could be killed. But he needed to give Carlson time to make his move.

"Reynolds!" Tony yelled to bring the man's attention back to him and buy Carlson the time he needed, "Why don't you just turn yourself in to us right now? You can save yourself a lot of trouble by surrendering." Tony gave the captain a cocky look.

Tony hated to use this method of distraction, but he had learned from previous experience with Reynolds that this method always worked. Besides, he was in an ungodly amount of pain and pissed off. He just wanted to get Carlson and himself out of there in one piece. So he took a deep breath and planted the smirk back on his face before he turned to stare at the man.

Neither Carlson nor DiNozzo noticed that Reynolds had) pulled a gun out from inside one of his boots. He slipped it in the back of his uniform pants and started to pace the room. He was furious at Tony for his smart mouth and would have loved to blow him away right then and there. But that would mean that he would lose control of his emotions and the situation, which he wasn't about to let happen. He stormed over to Tony so he could confront the jerk again and make him pay for his snide comments. No one insulted him, Captain Reynolds, and, got away with it.

"You're insane DiNozzo," Reynolds yelled as he tried to hang on to the little control he had left, "If you honestly think that I would just go and turn myself in, than you're dumber than I thought. You should know by now that I can't ever be caught. So I'll quickly finish you two off and then) I can be on my way. I'll be free and no one will ever see me again." (He gave DiNozzo a crazed smile.

Tony saw that the captain was trying to hold on to the little control that he had. The senior field agent also saw the false confidence in the captain, who believed it was real. Tony also knew by the short eye contact that Carlson knew the same.

"I don't think so." Carlson replied as he quickly reached down and grabbed the gun. He hid it quickly away in the waist of his jeans before Reynolds looked over at him with a demented smile.

"Oh," Tony started into his wise crack persona once again. He needed to focus his distraction ploy. This would be the only way that he and Carlson could get to the captain in order for them to escape to safety. And if that meant that Reynolds was shot in doing so, didn't matter one bit to DiNozzo. So he continued his taunting, "You honestly think that **I **am insane? Well you're the one who thinks he can just walk out of here and no one will be the wiser. You know, leaving two agents dead and all. You have to know they have your name, both agencies by the way. I know you've heard of them, NCIS and the F.B.I.?," Tony saw a glimmer of thought come from Reynolds as he tried to rationalize that he would get away forever with what he had done. Tony had seen it before in men, so he continued once again, "You're insane because you truly believe that you can just walk away forever. Gibbs will get you, trust me. Well, not just only Gibbs which in it's self is scary enough. But then there is the F.B.I. which I've been telling you about. Yeah, Fornell sent some good ones after you too. But hey, maybe you'll get the insanity plea?" Tony gave an amused laugh that he knew would throw the guy off balance. He knew his ploy was working. Reynolds face was contorted with fury. The look only confirmed what Tony had been working for. Tony happened to catch Carlson's look. He saw the eyes that told the NCIS agent he had gone too far. He chanced a look at Reynolds and quickly turned back to Carlson.

Reynolds used that moment to stealthy slip behind DiNozzo and shove him up against the wall. He pulled one hand away while the other kept Tony against the wall. He quickly pulled out the gun and held it against the side of Tony's head.

"Drop the gun right now!" Carlson said while he tried to hide the look of horror in his own eyes. He could tell that Reynolds was trying to induce more terror that the agent felt. Being injured as bad as Tony was, along with the shock caused by them and being held hostage, was not making the situation any better. Carlson knew that he couldn't allow himself to panic, if that happened Reynolds would not hesitate to blow Tony away. He needed to keep the promise he had made to himself earlier that he was going to get his friend out of this alive. "Drop the gun." Carlson pleaded again "Or I'll blow you away, right now."

"Yeah right" Reynolds hissed "How can you, when I'm the one with the gun and a very valuable hostage." He knew he held all the card and thought he always had.

Carlson was quiet as he discretely reached for the weapon. He also noticed that Tony was very pale and that his arm had started to badly bleed again. He saw that the agent had started to panic due to all the injuries which made it hard for the man to keep his head. Carlson also saw how shaky DiNozzo was and that this was not only due to the injuries and blood lose to his body but, the concussion as well. Carlson needed his friend to relax, but that would be hard to do with how bad the injuries were. He motioned in quick hand signals to his friend that conveyed the need for Tony to move as soon as he had a clear shot at Reynolds. Carlson pulled out his gun and took aim at his target. Reynolds had a tenuous hold that had evaporated as he shoved his hostage to the side and then fired his gun at Carlson. Carlson slumped against the wall and then slowly slid down as his eyes closed.

Ignoring the pain and fighting the growing panic inside of him, Tony jumped up. He gathered his remaining strength and launched himself at Reynolds, causing the other man to hit the wall with a loud crack. Tony laid there stunned for a few seconds before he was able to crawl across the hallway. He slowly made it to Carlson and placed a shaky had on the F.B.I. agent's neck to see if there was a pulse, to see if the man was still alive.

NNNCCCIIISSS

**OUTSIDE**

Gibbs waited impatiently for his team to meet him at the door. Thankfully they felt the sense of urgency emanating from Gibbs and suddenly appeared at his side. The four federal agents quickly cleared the area and started inside. Following the map that Carlson had given Gibbs, they quickly made their way through the maze of doors. Gibbs was about to split them up so they could search quicker when they heard a gunshot go off.

Gibbs and McGee instinctively ran forward with their guns in their hands. Jensen and Ziva followed in their footsteps. Gibbs had a gut feeling that things had gone wrong and that Tony was probably dead. He was sure that the others all felt the same way. No one was able or had time to express their fears, they knew that would be a danger and concentrated on the task at hand. Using the map they headed) off in the direction that the shot came from.

They'd been moving silently for several minutes when they heard another shot go off. The noise echoed in the huge building and seemed close to their position. Gibbs raised his hand up to signal to the others to hold their position and be quiet. They all listened quietly in order to pin point exactly where the noise came from. There was a very loud crash and then they heard what sounded like Tony crying out in pain. Only then was there silence. A moment later they heard footsteps from someone running away. The realization that all the noise came from a corridor that was left of their current position made Gibbs give the signal to move out. The team then quickly moved to where Tony was.

NNNCCCIIISSS

Tony's Location

DiNozzo looked back at the man that was lying on the ground to make sure that he was still unconscious. He was relieved to see that Reynolds eyes were still closed. Still not able to stand on his own he crawled to where Carlson was lying with his back against the wall. Once he was able to get to the injured man he quickly felt for a pulse. After confirming that it was slow and steady but still beating, he grabbed for the first aid bag that Carlson dropped onto the ground.

Tony quickly started to take care of his friend's injured arm. The gun shot thankfully was a through and through wound. He also realized that the blood loss wasn't too bad. He tore away his sleeve and used it to clean the wound before he bandaged it. He pulled off his shirt and tore off strips and then used them to tie off the wound and to keep the bandage in place.

As he finished his task with the bandage the other man started to stir. Tony moved back quickly, afraid that the pain from his ministrations would panic the injured man. Carlson quickly pulled away until he noticed who was sitting in front of him. Tony quickly bent closer down to help his friend up, but his hand was pushed away.

"DiNozzo" Carlson pleaded as strongly as his weak body would let him. His voice was quiet though he tried to force the urgency into it, "Get yourself out of here now. I'm sure that your team is looking for you. You just get yourself to safety, now! I mean it!" The F.B.I. agent fell back, spent by the use of his voice in strongly warning his friend.

"I'm not going anywhere without you" DiNozzo snapped back stubbornly, "Either we both stay or we both go. I'm not going to argue about this. Either you go with me now or I'll haul your ass up and carry you out of here!"

"Damn you DiNozzo" Carlson pleaded again, "Don't be stupid. Go and get yourself to safety. You have to go on your own because I'll just slow you down. Besides, you're not exactly able to carry me out. Look, you can hardly move yourself. Just get out of here now**. Go now**!" Again the man pushed his voice to the limit along with his energy.

"No" DiNozzo said as he slowly got himself up and reached down to pull the other man up. They needed to leave and now, "We're both going so put your damned arm around my shoulder so I can get you standing. We've got to go fast before Reynolds wakes up. So help me out here." Tony sternly told his friend.

"DiNozzo" Carlson laughed out loud "You are the most stubborn S.O.B. that I have ever met. Just help me up before it's too late." He knew that once Tony made up his mind there was no talking him out of it. He conceded and reached up for help. He just hoped they could both get away before they had another encounter with Reynolds. They were both wounded to badly to fight back or quickly escape. But they knew they had to try, it was better than waiting like sitting ducks for the inevitable of sure death.

Tony softly cried out in pain as he hauled his friend up. The two men were so focused on escape and didn't notice the man on the floor start to stir. Reynolds quietly pulled his gun out as he started to get up. He waited for DiNozzo to turn around so he could shoot him in the back. Tony was taking his time and turned in the opposite direction. But it didn't matter now who he killed, just as long as he quickly killed one of them. He knew it wouldn't take much since both were wounded and by the looks of it, both were bad off. The captain gave an evil smile as he pulled his gun out and fired. He laughed with insane satisfaction as Carlson slumped down on top of Tony. He noticed that DiNozzo wasn't moving. He figured that both agents were dead and quickly slipped out of the room.

NNNCCCIIISSS

Outside of the hallway

After the team heard the footsteps go in the opposite direction, they quickly made their way into the area the shots had come from. When they entered the area they saw the two men lying in a pool of blood. Gibbs ran into the room, his team behind him. Gibbs had to make sure that the two men were okay. He quickly pulled Carlson off of Tony and carefully laid him down on the ground. The lead NCIS agent spotted the two bullet holes in Carlson's back. He quickly checked several times for a pulse before he accepted the fact that the man who saved his Senior Field Agent's life was dead. Gibbs raised his head to his team, the look in his eyes told the other agents that the F.B.I. agent was dead.

"Damn it" Agent Jensen snapped as he ran in the direction they had heard the footstep go, his weapon drawn. Taking Jensen's lead Ziva and McGee followed him out to help pursue Captain Reynolds.

Gibbs closed the man's eyes and moved him over so he could check on his injured agent. Thankfully he found a pulse, it was weak, but at least he was still alive. The lead agent shook his head after assessing his agent's injuries. He could tell that Tony had been beaten at least twice by the number of bruises, along with an infected bullet wound in his arm. Gently he tapped his hand against Tony's cheek to try and bring him back to consciousness. His senior agent opened his eyes briefly and looked into the eyes of his boss before he slipped back into the safety of dark unconsciousness.

NNNCCCIIISSS

Ten minutes later

Gibbs sat there by Tony's side and quietly waited for the three agents to come back. While he waited he talked more than usual in hope that his agent would hear him and come to. Suddenly the three agents came bursting back into the area.)

"He's gone" Jensen announced while he tried) to catch his breath. "It's like he disappeared into thin air. A team of agents are out searching the area for him. Is DiNozzo alive?" He asked what the other two where thinking.

"He is, but barely" The lead agent said with a sigh of relief. "Just make sure Reynolds is found before he makes it back to the states. McGee, where are the medics?" Gibbs impatiently groused.

"I called them before we came in," McGee answered "I'm going now to bring them in." He turned around and then ran to the entrance so he could get the medics. He was worried about Tony and hoped they weren't too late.

"I will go with McGee, Gibbs" Ziva said quietly. "Tony will be okay. Yes?" She inquired as she looked from Tony to her boss.

"I need you here to help, Ziva" Gibbs answered, smiling for the first time in days "And yes, I'm sure Tony will be okay once he has medical attention."

Gibbs stood up and in an uncharacteristic move he reached and put his arm around Ziva. He didn't know who he was trying to comfort more when he brought her into a comforting embrace. The action did not go unnoticed by Jensen who grinned after taking one last look at his best friend. He then started to radio his team about Reynolds.

A few minutes later McGee came back followed by the medics. They quickly placed Agent Carlson into a body bag and Tony onto a stretcher. The medics stabilized Tony the best they could before they brought him out of the building. The team followed the medics and their fallen friend out into the sunshine. The lead agent looked back at the building and hoped that he would never have to come back to this God forsaken place again.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Gone

A/n Thanks everyone for waiting for the next chapter. Your reward is a nice long chapter to get by till the next one. Also I wanted to give a great big shout out to crokettsgirl for going above and beyond the call with this chapter. I have to give her credit for co writing this chapter since she wrote most of the beginning and doing re writes of the whole chapter. So please remember to thank her. And as alays please read and review!! Sarah

**GONE CHAPTER 12 **

**BASE HOSPITAL IN IRAG**

Jethro Gibbs was never a patient man, especially when it came to a case or his team. The patience he did have was only given when it was needed, right now wasn't that time. He held his fifth cup of coffee, if that's what you could call it, tightly in his hand. The huge clock in the small surgical waiting room ticked by slowly as he paced that same floor on and off for the past five hours. His senior field agent was in surgery and he needed to know how the hell Tony was. During those hours his other agents had processed the scene and joined him in his silent wait.

He finally sat down to think. He anxiously had made the call earlier to Abby, with Ducky by her side. Ducky had spoken to the doctor and explained everything to Gibbs so that he understood the situation better. The memories of earlier whirled through his mind and erased the room he currently sat in.

* * *

Gibbs could picture the gurney with a battered Tony being quickly moved down the hallway to the nearest treatment room. He didn't like that he had been told he couldn't go in. He was forced to wait, make his calls and get some coffee that tasted like mud.

After an hour a doctor came to talk to the lead agent about Tony's condition. Gibbs watched the man as he walked quickly towards him. Gibbs could see the man was about fifty, he wore the usual white coat and his hair was more gray than it was brown, his brown eyes furrowed with worry that made his brow crease.

The doctor reached Gibbs and held out his hand. "Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs met the gaze and nodded as he shook the man's hand. "How is Tony?"

"I'm Doctor Myer. Why don't we have a seat and I'll explain what is going on with Mr. DiNozzo." The doctor headed for the uncomfortable seats and sat down at the same time that Gibbs had.

"Mr. DiNozzo has been through a lot. My main concern is that he is bleeding internally somewhere. We need to operate and find out where the bleed is in order to fix it. We are giving him blood right now since he's lost a lot. Also, we need to repair the bullet hole in his left arm, it's a through and through so it will be easier to close up. I won't lie to you, Agent Gibbs, the bullet did damage some muscles in the arm and Mr. DiNozzo will need physical therapy once he starts to feel better. He also has a pneumothrax, a puncture in his lung, that's what's causing him such trouble with breathing. He has two fractured ribs and one broke, that's the rib that punctured his lung. We had to put in a chest tube right away to rid the extra air and blood that was building up in his chest cavity. We will also fix the lung in surgery." Myer's explained and then waited for what he had said to sink in before he continued.

Gibbs nodded that he understood and for the doctor to go on. The doctor then turned more in his chair so he could face the lead agent more directly before he began again. "There was a gash from a nail, which will be sown up as well. Since he is a federal agent I would think he is up on his tetanus shots?" The doctor waited for the answer.

"Yes, his shots are all up to date. If you need any medical questions on DiNozzo I could give you the number of Doctor Mallard who takes care of Tony." He stated.

"That would be a good idea. This way I could give him a quick call and find out a few things before surgery." The doctor took out a pen and small note pad and then copied down the number.

Doctor Myer sighed before he started on. "Mr. DiNozzo has also suffered a medium to severe concussion. This will heal on its own, but needs to be watched. The concussion will cause headaches; can cause vision problems such as double vision and or blurriness. Also there will be nausea, dizziness, disorientation and possible confusion or memory loss. We'll do Nero checks on him when he wakes up from surgery. Now, remember this will all pass, but must be watched, I'd say it will calm down as the days go by. But, it will be at least a week, maybe longer before the concussion is gone and that's providing there are no complications. He also has severe bruising, contusions and lacerations all over his body, looks like he had several beatings." Again the doctor waited, but only a moment.

"So he has to have surgery to repair all of this, then what, those Nero checks and then if that's fine the physical therapy?" Gibbs gruffly asked the doctor.

"Again, I'm not going to lie to you. Mr. DiNozzo is serious and has a long recovery ahead of him. After surgery we have to see how bad the concussion is affecting him and yes, we can tell partially by using the Nero exams. Also we have to start him on a broad band of anti-biotic to hopefully combat any infection or pneumonia which can develop. Do you understand all of these things I've explained to you? I really have to go. We have to get Mr. DiNozzo into surgery as quickly as possible." The doctor stood up, along with Gibbs.

"Anything I don't understand I'll ask Doctor Mallard, since you're going to call him. Just get Tony into surgery and patch him up." Gibbs voice was flat as he absorbed all that was told to him. He stood there and took a sip of the so called coffee as he watched the doctor vanish down the hallway in order to take Tony to surgery.

* * *

Gibbs suddenly heard Ziva's voice calling him out of his reverie. He looked over at her to see what she wanted.

"Gibbs, the doctor is coming." Ziva nodded her head towards doctor Myer.

They all stood up as the doctor came into the room.

"Well, Mr. DiNozzo made it through surgery just fine. We found the bleed; it was from a laceration to his liver which we've repaired. We are replacing the blood he's lost. We have placed a drain in his abdomen. We also fixed the bullet hole in his arm along with the muscle tears. The lung puncture was small so we repaired that as well. Doctor Mallard explain about the plague which surprised me. We will have Mr. DiNozzo on breathing treatments with a therapist and closely watch him for any distress to the lung. We will leave the drainage tube in his abdomen until the drainage is clear. He's in recovery now and will be for a few hours before we send him to ICU and then you all can visit him. Only one at a time and then visitation is only ten minutes every hour." The doctor looked at the three people in front of him to see if they had any questions.

Timothy McGee nodded as the doctor spoke. When the man was finished McGee asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Then Tony will be alright?"

"Well, it's too early to tell. Like I told agent Gibbs, we have to wait and hope he doesn't develop pneumonia or an infection. We also have to wait until he wakes to see how the concussion is affecting him. He isn't out of the woods yet. The next few days will tell us how things will go. I'll be monitoring him closely along with my colleagues on his case. If you have any further questions, just ask one of us." The doctor looked at them all, shook their hands and then left.

* * *

One by one they all got to see Tony. They were all taken back by how small, still and fragile he seemed. This wasn't their Tony DiNozzo. The wires that snaked out of him also shocked the three. Gibbs tried to stay his strong self in front of his other two agents. The only thing was that Gibbs noticed not just what the other's had, but that Tony seemed as pale as the crisp white sheets that wrapped around him.

The long day passed by slowly with each agent sitting in with Tony for a few minutes at a time. Gibbs dismissed them in order to go to the hotel and get some much needed rest. No one questioned that Gibbs stayed.

Gibbs had Ducky speak to the doctor to allow him longer access to his senior field agent. He needed to be there, he felt guilty for losing track of his agent and not finding Tony fast enough. He was also afraid that when Tony woke, he'd blame his boss for the same thing. Gibbs again didn't show his feelings to his team although he and Ducky had discussed them. Or maybe it was more Ducky who spoke to him about it. He couldn't remember as he took some aspirins before he stared through the window of Tony's ICU room.

He had been there a few times on the second day when Tony would become conscious for only a few minutes and mumble things that couldn't be understood. The doctor explained this was normal. He was also told that Tony had spiked a fever and they had increased his anti-biotic to combat it.

By the third day Tony was still suffering from the fever although it had gone from 103 to 102.5 degrees. The doctor explained the drop in temperature was a good sign that the drugs were working. He also told Gibbs that Tony was on Morphine for the pain. He explained that Tony was doing as well as he could under the circumstances with his Neurological exams. He made sure that the two agents and Gibbs understood that between the infection, pain medication and the disorientation, along with the other effects from the concussion, that when Tony woke he could become rather agitated. That they just wouldn't know what to expect until he woke. Doctor Myer's also made sure that all the agents understood to try and keep Tony calm if this were to happen. That they were to press the call button for the nurse to come and she'd sedate the young agent if it were necessary.

Gibbs once again entered the room. He listened to the noises that he had become accustom too and looked at the machines. He knew the monitor showed Tony's heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation level into the blood. He didn't understand it. All he knew was that as long as he heard the beeping that meant Tony was alive. He also was used to stepping over the wires from these machines. He saw the IV on the pole with a machine that gave Tony his anti-biotic, both at different drip rates and there was also a Foley bag. He was thankful that they finally had taken Tony off the morphine and would just administer pain medication every four hours. He also was relieved that the abdomen drain tube was taken out, which was one thing he had trouble with.

He looked Tony over and checked him out. He saw the bruises that had stood out, now they were larger and had turned to lighter shades of colors as they healed. The oxygen mask had also been removed and changed to a nose cannula. All these things showed that his agent was slowly getting better. He was glad, yet he couldn't stop the long hours he sat with the younger man. His back was now stiff and sore from the uncomfortable torturous chair that sat by Tony's bed, but he still couldn't leave for long. He'd do what he had to do and always found himself back with Tony after he'd worked.

The nurses were told to just allow Gibbs to stay as long as he wanted and to allow him the coffee from the nurse's lounge. They soon figured out that the coffee calmed the beast and would bring cups to him on occasion. This alone made Gibbs feel a little better, at least the coffee tasted like coffee. Still, Jethro Gibbs could not lose the feeling of guilt he held within him. Even with the many talks he'd had over the past three days with Ducky, the guilt still loomed over him. So he just sat and watched Tony, deep in thought and started to yet again re-cap what had happened along with what had been going on.

* * *

After learning of his agent's disappearance he'd been so worried. Then he thought they had finally found him only to have found his cell phone. Finally a lead came from the man who had betrayed Tony and given him up to Captain Reynolds. However, Gibbs would be eternally grateful to the man who had given up his life to save a friend.

He'd been wracking his brain to find a way to explain to the injured man that Agent Carlson had died trying to save his life. When Tony had briefly regained consciousness, he was glad that the younger man only mumbled and wasn't aware enough to ask about what had happened or how Agent Carlson was. Gibbs made sure that both McGee and Ziva had taken turns sitting with Tony so he could assist the FBI with the manhunt for Captain Reynolds. Gibbs personally wanted to be the one to take out Captain Reynolds for good. He wanted him to pay for what he did to DiNozzo and Carlson. Due to the recommendation of Agent Jensen, Gibbs and his team were allowed to continue to assist.

Gibbs had been hoping to stay with his agent until he was well enough to go back to D.C. The F.B.I. now believed that Reynolds would run and easily slip back in to the United States. The man was smart and the F.B.I. thought that the captain would know they would be searching for him in Iraq and the surrounding countries. That was why bolos were sent to all of the airports in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. They also sent out bolos to every local and international law enforcement agency along with sending them throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The FBI wasn't taking any chances with this man. They made sure to cover all their bases.

Going over the case in his head, Gibbs knew that there was a good chance that he, McGee, and Ziva would be sent back to the states. Gibbs just didn't know exactly when that would be. But, when they were sent back and if it was before Tony was ready for the trip, he'd push for Ducky to be sent over to stay with Tony. Then when Tony was well enough, both would come home.

The problem was that there had been no sign of Reynolds yet. When Gibbs had spoken to Agent Jensen, he was told that the F.B.I. was convinced that the captain had already left the Middle East and was headed to the United States. He sat there and wondered, no, dreaded the expected call from his director. This call would be the one that would say if or when they were going to be sent back. Gibbs sighed and took a sip of his coffee. Either way he knew that this conversation was not going to be a pleasant one. He'd disobeyed a direct order and was prepared to take whatever disciplinary action the director would give out. But that didn't mean he couldn't effectively plead his case, he thought with a smirk. He'd done it before with other directors and even with Vance, and had won.

* * *

Gibbs was startled out of his reverie when as if on cue, his phone started vibrating in his jacket pocket. He quickly looked at the caller id on his phone to see that it was Leon Vance. He would have liked to have avoided the phone call, but he needed to talk to Vance right away. So he quickly glanced back at Tony to make sure he was still asleep before slipping outside to take the call.

"Leon." Gibbs answered as he made his way out into the sunlight.

"Agent Gibbs" Vance answered "Sounds like you've been going around my back and doing things without my authorization or permission, again."

"What in the hell was I supposed to do Leon?" answered Gibbs "You weren't here and someone needed to take charge of the situation. You weren't here so I did what I had to do. And if I had waited for you there would be two dead agents on your hands. And if things would have been done the way they should have been, Carlson might still be alive." His voice was gruff, stern and with purpose as he tried to control his temper in order to answer the director.

Gibbs waited silently for Vance to answer him. He was tired and frustrated and though he tried, he still took out how he felt on the one person he blamed for this situation. Not just with Tony, but also with other responsibilities. Agent Jensen had been assigned to head the manhunt here. This left Gibbs with one of the responsibilities that no one liked to do. He had to talk to Agent Carlson's family. How the hell do you explain to a wife and two young children that their husband and father wouldn't be coming back home?

"Jethro" Vance barked out "I know that you are upset. And I do apologize for not being there. But when I give you a direct order I do expect you to follow it. Now, I need you and your team to stay there and assist Agent Jensen with the search in Iraq for now. I'll be sending your team back as soon as the search efforts there have been exhausted. I assume that it would be too much to ask for you to keep me apprised of the situation." Vance huffed out. So far Gibbs hadn't kept him fully apprised. This made the director look as if he had no control over the situation in front of Sec Nav. One thing Leon Vance hated was to appear a fool and not have the power he should with his command.

"I will Leon" Gibbs answered to appease his boss as he started to head inside, away from the glaring sunlight. "As long as you let me and my team do my job. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything."

Gibbs, how is Agent DiNozzo?" Vance inquired.

Gibbs was about ready to hang up his phone when Vance had asked this question about DiNozzo. He wondered if the director would ask for an update. He knew that Vance had been told by Ducky about Tony's injuries and what was being done. Before he could answer he saw one of the nurses running toward him. He knew it had to have something to do with Tony,

"I have to go. I think there's a problem with DiNozzo. I'll call you back as soon as I can." Gibbs said shortly before he snapped his cell shut and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Agent Gibbs" the nurse said "Agent DiNozzo just woke up and is asking for you. I'm sorry but he's really upset and is demanding to talk to you."

* * *

Gibbs didn't care about the consequences of his actions when he snapped his cell shut on Vance. His senior field agent was more important to him than Leon Vance. He quickly followed the nurse to Tony's room only to find a very upset agent. Tony was fighting for all he was worth with the staff who were trying to calm him down without having to give him a sedative. The doctor locked eyes with Gibbs and gave a warning look. The lead agent knew that the doctor didn't want to give Tony a sedative if he didn't have to, but would, to calm the young man down. He moved to the other side of the bed to try and quiet him down. Gibbs could feel the tension radiating throughout the man as he went to put his hand on his shoulder.

"DiNozzo" Gibbs whispered into the younger man's ear "You need to calm down. I'm here now and everything is okay, you're safe." he soothed with assurance.

Gibbs felt his agent relax under the soothing touch. Tony's eyes were still closed, his breathing slowly started to even out. A few seconds later those eyes opened to see Gibbs sitting next to him. There eyes locked, one with concern the other with confusion. The doctor motioned for the staff to leave since his patient had calmed down.

"Boss" Tony croaked out, his eyes still showed his confusion but suddenly they also filled with fear. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"No problem" Gibbs answered as he slipped from the bed into the chair next to it. "You are the only person I've ever known that needs to be rescued so much." Gibbs told Tony to lighten the tone.

"Yeah" Tony answered with a smirk "For some reason that seems to happen a lot to me."

He had noticed that the younger man had finally started to settle down a bit. But he could definitely tell that there was something still on his mind. Gibbs wracked his brain as he had been over the last few days.

_Tony needs to know about Carlson's death and how it happened. How do I tell him in his condition? However I do it he will be upset and the doctor's said he can't be upset it won't help his recovery, it could hurt him. Damn, maybe I should just wait to see if Tony tells me what's bothering him or asks me about Carlson, for now._ That sounded good to Gibbs, it seemed to be the right thing to do, at this point.

Tony closed his eyes. He didn't want to show how badly he hurt. His head pounded and his body ached with pain, fatigue made him want to drift away into much needed sleep. Only he was scared and that was something else he didn't want to show his boss. He drew a ragged breath, his ribs made it hard to breathe. He was glad that his lung had been fixed and re-inflated, which would have made it worse to breathe. Now that he knew about his surgery and what was wrong with him, he was still scared. But not as bad as before he understood what was wrong, that had brought out his own raw fear. He never liked hospitals. He always figured that came from when he was young, they had terrified him. But now he realized there was something more that bothered him and in his state, between the drugs, the fever and concussion, it was hard to figure it out. His mind would switch on him from being fairly clear to being very unclear. The doctor's had explained why this happened but he couldn't remember what they said about it. He thought that maybe the only way to find out what was bothering him would be to slowly talk and go over the fuzzy memories in his mind.

"Boss" Tony asked hesitantly "I was wondering if I could talk to Agent Carlson. I never had a chance to really thank him for saving my life. He's okay isn't he? He was carrying me out so he couldn't have been hurt too badly. We were just trying to get away, Boss. He just has to be okay." Tony could hear the desperation in his voice and knew Gibbs did too.

Gibbs recognized the panic that had started to grow again in the younger man's voice as well as in his eyes. Again, he debated whether to tell Tony the truth or not. What he had resolved before was asked and now he would have to answer truthfully. He couldn't lie and it was better that Tony heard it from him, even though the younger man was not in the best frame of mind to hear the heartbreaking news.

"Tony" Gibbs slowly answered "Agent Carlson got shot in the back when the two of you were trying to get out of the room. Carlson must have noticed that Reynolds had woken up because when we got there he was lying on top of you." Gibbs eyes watched for Tony's reaction to what he'd just been told.

Tony couldn't believe what he had just heard. _Gibbs has to be lying to me, he has to be. I don't understand. No, Carlson can't be dead, I saw him alive and he was caring me out. Yet….oh God. Gibbs would never and has never lied to me. Why would he start now? I feel so confused, my memories are so jumbled and this damn pounding head isn't helping me! No, I don't believe it! _

Gibbs saw the rush of emotions fly across Tony's face. There was a battle that was going on within the man along with the pain, both mental and physical, that could be clearly seen in his agent.

"Boss" Tony demanded. His breathing was becoming more rapid and ragged. Pain etched his face along with absolute fear that traveled from his face to his eyes, "Carlson is alive….. because there…..there is no way he could be dead. Stop…..stop lying to me. I don't believe you! I saw him……I ….saw ….him." He panted.

Tony's eyes had unshed tears in them. His voice was tight with emotion that made it hard to breathe along with his ribs. He gasped and pulled in as much air as his ribs would allow before he let out more of the thoughts that spun through his head, "No! Bring him in here now…..or….. or I'll…. go and find him…. myself," Tony started to shake his head, but thought better of it when the pain pounded out a hard rhythm. He lay back for a moment and in that moment, as the pain settled a bit, he felt confusion and guilt set in along side the fear.

"You……. should have…. gotten to him in time. Because if you didn't…. get to him in time,…. it makes it my fault." He said the last in a whispered voice as if Gibbs wasn't even there. He then began to tremble and raise his voice a few shaky notches with realization of what he had done, "Entirely my fault!"

The older man started to worry. He hoped that DiNozzo would take the news better than he was. But in his heart he knew that this news would be hard on the younger man, especially in his condition. He noticed that DiNozzo was weakly trying to get out of the bed. The chest pads to the monitor came off and caused an alarm. Gibbs had seen the nurses turn the alarm off over the past few days and hit the button to silence it. He knew that his senior agent was confused, in pain, unsteady and filled with mixed emotions that weren't sorted out. Especially, since not all his memories had returned. To make things worse, DiNozzo had been semi-conscious at times of his being held captive, so there were also holes in the memories he did have.

Gibbs understood this because he had been the same way when he woke up from the second coma after the explosion on that ship a few years back. He only was able to remember what he wanted to. It took Ziva's head slap to bring the memories back. Only he knew that a simple head slap wouldn't fix this.

"Tony" Gibbs called out at the man who was almost out of bed. He quietly moved to Tony to calm him down, "**DiNozzo**! I know that you really want to believe that he's alive. Carlson is gone because he wanted to save your life. It was not your fault that he is gone. I won't have you beat yourself up over this." Gibbs raised his voice and then lowered it a little, but the authority was still there.

Gibbs started to worry even more when Tony hadn't reacted in the way he thought to what he had said and how he had said it. He looked into Tony's eyes and saw more fear building that quickly turned to panic and confusion. Gibbs knew there was no logical thought behind emotions of panic and confusion. Gibbs also knew that Tony was going to snap at any moment. He had his hand on the younger man's shoulders ready to push him back in bed. Suddenly, with strength that wasn't there before, Gibbs saw Tony pull out the IV with the piggy backed anti-biotic.

Tony didn't notice the blood that ran down his arm when he pulled the thing that was attached to his arm out. He felt strength from the overwhelming fear to get out of this place and run from what he was told. He pushed hard against the man that held him, but couldn't get away which only caused more panicked fear.

Gibbs felt the hard push and again couldn't believe it came from Tony. He figured it was from a build up of adrenalin but didn't know what to do. He reached for the cord, found the call button on it and pressed it and hoped someone came quickly.

The doctor and nurses were in the room within minutes of the alert. To Gibbs it seemed as if he just was pushed to the back of the room, helpless to watch the battle between the staff and Tony. The staff tried to push Tony back down on the bed, calm him and reestablish the IV. and pads to the monitor. Tony fought with all he had in him which was only pure adrenalin from all his emotions. Gibbs could see the wildness of too many of those emotions in his eyes, disorientation, fear, and a panicked need to get away. This was too hard to watch and he felt the anger rise within him as he did.

"Let Go…..of…._**ME! You ….bastards!"**_ Tony fought hard and recited the same thing over and over again.__The yell finally turned into a thunderous scream. He couldn't feel the pain through the adrenalin rush. _**"Reynolds we're gonna bring you down! Carlson!"**_

Gibbs anger grew as he heard what Tony yelled. He pushed through and around the staff so he was in the younger man's line of sight. He then put his hand down on his distressed agent's shoulder, "Tony I'm here, you're safe now." Gibbs tried to convey. He noticed Tony's breathing had started to slow down and his body start to relax at the sound of his boss' voice.

The doctor noticed the older agent by the bed, with all the confusion he hadn't realized that Gibbs had started to calm Tony down, "Agent Gibbs, "I need you to leave the room right now." The doctor demanded in his mind, his team had started to calm Tony down. He didn't want Gibbs to aggravate the situation and get Tony more upset. The young man still had fight left in him, but he had lain back down and was only reciting the words in a normal tone, out of breath as he turned from side to side.

Gibbs wasn't about leave Tony alone. The younger man was terrified and confused. Clearly with just one look into the expressive eyes of the younger agent the doctor could see that, he surely could. Tony was just collecting his strength before he would fight the staff just as hard, again. He wasn't about to let this moron tell him to get out. Gibbs would not let Tony hurt himself more than he had. The lead agent stood his ground. He had done it enough times with many others. He gave the doctor a nasty glare from his icy blue eyes that said do not even try me on this one.

"I'm not leaving my agent alone! "Gibbs demanded, determined to protect him, "Tony was finally starting to relax just by my being here. He's terrified and confused right now. I am staying right where I am doctor. He needs to know that he isn't alone so don't even try me on this one." He told the doctor in a protective growl.

Gibbs moved closer to his agent's side and could feel the confusion and terror radiating from his body. His eyes where widening with fear. He knew that in this confused state of mind that Tony would start to fight harder to try again to get away. Again he thought how he didn't want the young man to hurt himself and make things worse than they were.

The doctor was hesitant to say yes, but he finally started to see that the injured man had started to relax more under his boss' touch. Even though he could get security to escort the man out, against his better judgment he decided to allow Agent Gibbs to stay.

"Agent Gibbs" the doctor finally answered "Against my better judgment and against hospital policy I'll allow you to stay. I see now that Mr. DiNozzo has started to relax by you being near him. But, I need you stand back within his line of sight so that the nurses can do their job." Doctor Myer's relented.

"Thank you" Gibbs said as he moved back a little, but still in Tony's sight.

Gibbs watched as the doctor and nurses started back to their work. He locked his eyes with Tony and nodded to him to let him know he wasn't leaving. Tony's eyes were still very fearful but he was still able to nod back in understanding and trust. They reconnected all the pads for the monitor and then the IV with the piggy backed anti-biotic in his other arm and bandaged the old site. They then checked all his wounds before putting fresh bandages back on them. Just as they were done he pulled up and once again started to fight and scream. Gibbs was immediately up and by his side.

"Tony" The older man called out as he hurried again to his side, "You need to let the doctor and nurses help you. I know you're scared and confused right now and in a world of pain. But you need to let them do what they need to. I promise that their almost done and it will be over soon." Gibbs reassured in a soothing tone once again.

Tony's eyes were unfocused, but he could hear his boss and gave a fearful nod. He wouldn't completely calm down, his hand twisted over to his other arm and tried to reach for the IV. The whole room started to spin. The room was like a merry-go-round and he wasn't sure where he was._ I know I heard Gibbs, but is it them trying to make me think I hear him? What did Reynolds put in my arm? Why is everything spinning? I feel so nauseous._

The nurses had given the doctor the vitals he needed. Then Doctor Myer listened to Tony's heart and lungs and then put away his stethoscope. He turned and recognized the look on the man's face, "Hurry, Turn him over so he doesn't aspirate!"

Gibbs pulled back as the doctor and a nurse rolled Tony and let the other nurse use an emesis basin and hold his forehead as he vomited. After he was done they rolled him back and wiped his mouth.

He felt so sick and could feel cold hands all over him. His body was turned and he expelled what was in his stomach. Now he was left with a horrible headache, sweat running down his body, still not sure what was going on, but somehow he needed to leave this place. He needed to get to Carlson, so he again started to fight.

"Damn it Tony. You need to calm down." Gibbs pleaded as the doctor started to speak again.

"Agent Gibbs" the doctor stated "We need to sedate him so he doesn't hurt himself. He is still suffering from the concussion. We'll give him something for the nausea and pain. We also need a temperature on him. Can you talk to him, distract him?" The doctor explained as he asked.

Gibbs moved back to Tony's side as the others moved away. He took the younger man's hand and started to whisper softly to him.

"Tony" Gibbs whispered into his ear "I need you to listen to me. You're in a hospital and safe. The doctors are going to give you something to help with the pain, nausea and so you can sleep. I know you are still confused and scared. But someone will be here when you wake up. I promise. Do you understand son?" Gibbs explained with gentle compassion.

Tony gave a scared nod that almost broke the older man's heart. Gibbs motioned for them to come back. Gibbs watched as his senior agent used all of his control to stay completely still. The one nurse took his temperature while the other went and brought back the three medications that were ordered. She administered into the IV port something for the pain, along with Compazine for the nausea and also Adivan to relax and help him sleep. Slowly the younger man started to relax as Gibbs moved back to his side. As his eyes started to close he opened his mouth to start to talk.

"Boss" Tony whispered as sudden clarity hit him from the drugs taking affect, "I'm sorry about Agent Carlson." Before Gibbs could reply, he was fast asleep where he could feel nothing or know anything that was going on around him.

The nurse told the doctor that Tony's temperature was 102 degrees. The doctor charted everything about his patient as the nurses left. When he was done he glanced at his patient who now slept quietly and then nodded at Gibbs before he left.

* * *

Gibbs slumped back into his chair. He knew that there would be emotional issues that Tony would have to deal with. But he knew that what Tony was going through was much more severe than that. It sounded to the older man that as he healed from the concussion and his other injuries that he may start to suffer from PTSD if his agent didn't get some emotional help soon. He also knew that his time in Iraq would come to an end shortly and that DiNozzo would be left to recover on his own before being sent back to D.C. He was going to try and arrange for Ducky to come and stay with Tony until he could return home. He hoped that having someone that was easy to talk to and understood would help him to cope and deal with the events of the last couple of months.

Gibbs checked his watch and realized that McGee was due to show up for his shift. He trusted that his junior agent could handle things until he was able to get back to his senior agent's bed side. He'd been away from the case and the search for Reynolds for too long with what had happened with DiNozzo that morning and into the afternoon. He watched the gently but peaceful rise and fall of his agent's chest, listened to the monitors steady noise as he thought. He was hesitant about leaving the man in case he woke up the way he had that morning. He just had to have faith that McGee could take care of him. Gibbs molded to the chair, his mind slowed down, his last thought before he fell asleep was they had to catch that killer, Reynolds. He didn't know how long he had fallen asleep before he was awoken by a hand on his shoulder.

A/n Tony gets a visitor in the next chapter. Can anyone guess who it might be? And also the significance of Tony's good luck watch will come to play in the next chapters also


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Gone

A/N So sorry again for the incredibly long delay. Life just hasn't allowed me the time to update as fast as I would normally like to. But for being so patient here is a nice long chapter to make up for it. And also so much thanks to crokettsgirl for all her help with rewrites and adding parts to the chapter to make it great for you all to read. Thanks so much for your help. Well here is the next chapter. And as always please read and review

Gibbs jumped when he felt the pressure of an unfamiliar hand touch his shoulder. He looked up to see the startled face of his junior field agent. Gibbs rubbed his eyes wearily from long hours at the hospital in those God forsaken things the hospital called chairs.

"Boss" McGee stammered as he recovered his demeanor, "I was sent to relieve you. Agent Jensen needs to fill you in on the latest details of the case. Also, Director Vance said that he needed to talk to you. I told him that you were at the hospital and that you had to shut your phone of because ………." He started to inform his boss before he was cut off.

The older agent just sat there with his head in his hands. He was worn out and barely registered what McGee had just said to him let alone the explanation that wouldn't stop.

"Enough, McGee."

McGee stopped his train of thought and then stuttered with another. "Ah, of course you don't need to know stuff about cell phones in a hospital." He stopped and just stood there to wait for his boss to give him his orders.

Gibbs was relieved when Tim stopped. He hadn't slept for more than a few minutes at a time during the last few days and couldn't deal with McGee's rambling. He was very reluctant to leave Tony's side after how he had reacted to the news of Carlson's death. He was afraid of what would happen when Tony woke up again. He'd inform McGee with just enough information for the younger man to handle the situation. However, he was anxious to get back to the case. He hadn't spent as much time as he wanted on it and needed to be on the manhunt for Reynolds. He also knew that he owed Vance an update on the case and an explanation for hanging up on him twice. Gibbs decided to get an update on Tony's condition which would make him feel better before he left the hospital.

Gibbs decided he'd have to trust DiNozzo to the capable hands of his junior agent. He didn't have a choice and hoped that it might do his senior agent some good to spend some time with his partner and friend. DiNozzo always played pranks and gave McGee a hard time. DiNozzo was also known to leave the junior agent with all of the dirty jobs, while he took the jobs he felt were more befitting of his title of Senior Field Agent. Gibbs did know that with everything they'd gone through that the two had become close friends. The older agent never said much, but being Gibbs it was his job to know as much as he could about his team. That's how he knew that the two younger agents went out every Friday night when they had the weekend off or no active cases, for pizza and beers. He was glad and knew that the spent time together had resulted in a relationship that blossomed into more of a sibling type connection.

"McGee" Gibbs finally asked "I'll be back in a few hours. So I need you to stay here with Tony so he isn't alone. When he woke last time he was pretty hard to handle. He isn't taking Agent Carlson's death well. You **will** not let them kick you out and you **will** settle him down if Tony gets agitated again. Am I clear?" Gibbs blue eyes narrowed at Tim which brooked no argument that his orders would be carried out.

McGee's eyes locked with his boss' and gave him a stern nod. He then looked down at the sleeping man. His eyes flickered up at his boss, questioningly. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked with concern.

"He's been hurt pretty badly, though his doctor seems to think that he'll recover in time. We'll just have to wait and see. He should be asleep for a few hours. I'll be back as soon as I can." Gibbs answered and again hoped that he would be back before Tony woke. He only hoped that if Tony did wake that McGee could handle the order he was given.

The lead agent finally stood up to stretch is aching muscles. He turned around to take one last look at his agent that lay in bed and then McGee before he left the room.

The blinding hot sun hit him after spending three days more inside than outside. When outside it was only to work on the case and then he'd hurry back to the hospital, to his agent, those hard chairs along with what the staff called coffee. Now, he needed a good cup of coffee, not that garbage the hospital had. The coffee the nurses had given him was better, but he needed real coffee so he could start to focus harder on the case. Again, he thought of how he had worked the case, but just not as much or as hard as he wanted to due to Tony and what had happened.

NNNCCCIIISSS

FBI Headquarters in Iraq

Agent Gibbs pulled up to the main building about twenty minutes later. He was surprised to see that Agent Jensen was walking out to meet him.

"How is Agent DiNozzo doing?" Jensen asked. He noticed the tired and haggard look on the older man's face. Jensen knew from the observation of the other agent that he probably felt as bad as he looked. Years of working the job made agents hone in quickly on people with their observation skills. That was one of the ways they could tell what they were dealing with and Jensen was good at what he did.

"He was hurt pretty badly. But he's woken up several times, though very disoriented. Today was one of the worst and the doctor ended up having to sedate him, to relax." Gibbs answered with gruff sadness lining his voice.

"I gather he didn't take the news very well." Jensen asked as they walked towards the building.

"No he didn't" Gibbs replied with a sigh, "He was convinced that I was lying to him and that I intentionally let Carlson die by not getting there soon enough. But Agent McGee is there right now. Hopefully he'll be in a better frame of mind after he's had some rest. It's just that he's taking this harder than I would have imagined him to. I hope that he can recover and get over this emotionally. I honestly don't have a clue as to how to make things right with DiNozzo at this time. I have never seen him like this before." Gibbs shook his head while he told the other agent. He stood still for a moment as he thought about what he had just said.

"Look Agent Gibbs" Jensen replied "DiNozzo's a very strong person. He and Carlson became good friends. And knowing Tony's sense of loyalty he was probably angry and hurt at the betrayal. But I also know that Carlson would go and try to save Tony's life without regard to his own. At first I thought that he did it because he felt guilty. I was ready to arrest him, but you can't arrest a dead man. Then when I saw him lying on top of DiNozzo, well I realized I was wrong. The man is a hero and Tony will eventually come to realize that he has nothing to feel guilty about. And you need to stop kicking yourself over this. It's not going to make matters any better with the two of you beating your selves up over this." Jensen explained. He hoped he was getting through to the older man.

"I do know that for Christ sakes, but I still feel responsible never the less. I'm not sure what to do. I've never seen him so hurt and angry. Like I told you, he holds me responsible and he thinks that I intentionally didn't get there in time. That's why Tony believes that it was my fault that Agent Carlson died. He doesn't want to hear what I have to say. I'm at a loss of what to do, how to handle this." Gibbs stated as he rubbed his eyes again and started shaking his head.

"Just give it time Agent Gibbs. Tony is physically hurt and very confused right now. He doesn't know what to think at this point. His mind only remembers certain things, jumbled recollections of what happened. He'll need to put them together with all the facts. He must feel that we failed him and should have been able to save them both. He also probably feels guilty about living while the man who risked everything to save his life is dead." Jensen stopped a moment to let Gibbs think about what he had just said.

Gibbs knew Jensen was right. He let out a sigh and saw the man had more to say. Their eyes connected as the other agent finished his thoughts, "I am sure that Tony thinks he should have been the one who died. So like I said, just give it some time. After he has a chance to recover, he'll see things a lot differently. Tony just needs time to deal with a whole lot of stuff right now. Just be patient with him. To me, and I'm not a doctor, but I think that just being there for him will do a world of good. You have to let it go for now, okay?" Jensen asked as he put his hand on the older agents shoulder as they walked through the door.

Gibbs nodded as he realized what Jensen had said. "Survivor's guilt." He quietly spoke as they entered the building.

Jensen nodded at the statement and then changed the subject. "Agent Gibbs, I needed to ask if you would be willing to escort Agent Carlson's body back to D.C. I wanted to do it myself, but I've been asked to stay here to lead the effort to capture and arrest all of Reynolds associates and to kill the bastard myself if I get the chance. I've already taken the difficult job of letting his wife Amanda and his children know along with my superiors."

Gibbs shook his head. He knew they would be called back soon and at least he didn't have to tell the family. He thought the F.B.I. should have done that anyway. They walked further into the building and were stopped.

"Boss" Ziva acknowledged, "Vance has been calling for you. He wants you to call him immediately with an update."

"Tell him that I will get back to him after I drop off my gear and get a cup of coffee." Gibbs answered as he walked over to the other side of the building in search of the precious liquid.

He needed to unpack, shower and get coffee before he was ready to call Leon Vance. He started up some coffee. Using his favorite blend and then went to the showers. He quickly showered and dressed before he gulped down his first cup of coffee. As he was pouring his second cup of coffee his phone rang. One glance at the caller id showed that it was Leon Vance. Gibbs wanted to ignore the call but decided that it was in his best interest to answer it. Especially, since he wanted Ducky to be sent out here in order to stay with Tony and hoped that the director would agree to it. He quickly answered in his usual gruff manner.

"Gibbs!" he answered after swallowing a large gulp of coffee.

"Jethro" Vance answered "I haven't gotten that update yet. And Agent Gibbs, don't you ever hang up on me again." Vance warned.

"Leon, I had no choice" Gibbs answered, "DiNozzo had just woken up. He was scared and confused, working himself into a panic. I wasn't about to leave him alone in that state. He was so damn agitated and filled with anxiety from not understanding what was going on that they had to sedate him." He explained.

"I had no idea that Agent DiNozzo was in such bad shape, Jethro." Vance answered, "There is something else that I need to talk to you about. But that will have to wait until I get the update."

"Leon" Gibbs replied as he swallowed another large gulp of coffee. "All that I know are from the few updates that I've been given. Captain Reynolds got away before we could get to DiNozzo and Agent Carlson. There's been an extensive search for Reynolds throughout Iraq and the surrounding countries. So far there have been no sightings of Reynolds despite the help from the FBI, CIA, NCIS, and Army CID. They've been searching around the clock for him. I know that Agent Jensen feels that he could be in Europe or who knows where right now. He has people standing by at all of the major airports right now showing his picture around hoping to capture him. He'll be updating me shortly on anything else they've found out. I'll let you know more when I (know."

"Jethro" Vance said "Thanks for the update, let me know if there is anything further that Jensen has found out. Oh and I've learned that Agents Fornell and Sacks have been coordinating with law enforcement agencies in the U.S. including D.C. to hunt the bastard down. We will find him Jethro, trust me. But I need your word that you will not do anything stupid in the meantime." Vance sternly stated.

"I can guarantee that I won't, Leon." Gibbs replied matter of factly, "I not only want the man caught for what he did, but also for what happened to my agent. At least Jensen and his team have managed to capture most of Reynolds people. Most of them have been Al-Qaeda operatives in the area, like the ones Tony was set up to meet. The rest we believe are military which is why they are so hard to track down. We are doing everything to get a lead so that we can bring them down."

Gibbs took a breath before he decided to ask the director his next question, "So Leon, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Agent Gibbs" Leon answered hesitantly. He knew that the older agent wouldn't be very happy about what he would say next, "I'm sending you, Officer David, and Agent McGee back to the U.S. You leave in three days. You better be ready. I need you back here to coordinate with Fornell and your mind completely on the case."

"I promise you that my mind will be completely on the case. I want that bastard too. I spoke to Agent Jensen earlier. He asked me to accompany Agent Carlson's body back to D.C. And Leon, I do intend to make sure that Agent Carlson will be remembered as a hero. Nothing needs to be said about his involvement with Reynolds. I also need arrangements to be made for Doctor Mallard to be flown here to stay with DiNozzo until he's ready to go home." Gibbs stated instead of asking. He wasn't about to give the director a choice in the matter. Tony could not be left alone and that was all there was to it.

"I can't do that Agent Gibbs. It's too late to have him flown all the way to Iraq. You should have discussed this with me earlier and then I could have made the arrangements……." Vance was cut off by his lead agent and he wasn't thrilled about it.

"Damn it Leon!" Gibbs shouted over the phone to cut him off. He was going to win on this one. He had to choose his battles and this battle was the one he had chosen, "I can't leave DiNozzo here alone. Not in the state he is in. You better find someone he knows to at least sit with him for a few days after we leave….." Now it was Jethro's turn to be cut off.

Vance interrupted Gibbs. The man was on a tirade and he wasn't going to take that. Besides, he hadn't finished what he was going to say. "Jethro, I am going to over look the fact that you yelled at me and are trying to give me orders because of how upset you are over DiNozzo. Now, If you'd let me finish what I was saying. I have already sent Ms. Scuito on a plane to Iraq. Her flight left last night. Actually, she came into my office yesterday after learning that you three were coming back. She carried on as she usually does about that there was no way DiNozzo could be left alone. Ms. Scuito also stated that she was the only one who could take care of him properly. She demanded that she be put on the next flight to Iraq and so I agreed. Her itinerary was faxed to the headquarters about an hour ago." Vance explained with a hint of exasperation to his voice.

"Why the hell didn't you say that earlier Leon? You do realize that you could have just said that in the first place. Abby is the perfect choice after Doctor Mallard to leave Tony with." Gibbs answered.

"You never gave me a chance, Gibbs. She approached me yesterday afternoon. In fact she said that she was never going to leave the chair she was sitting in until I agreed to her demands. After two hours and listening to her slurping down two caf- pows and to that loud annoying music of hers, I finally agreed to let her go. She went home to pack and was on the red eye flight to Iraq two hours later." Vance answered with a huff.

"Thanks Leon" Gibbs answered, relieved that he wouldn't have to leave Tony alone, "I'm going to send Officer David and Agent McGee to pack up Agent DiNozzo's things at the base. I'll have them speak to the commanding officer there. DiNozzo may have some information on Captain Reynolds that we are not aware of. He's not able to tell us right now in his state. I'll have my team search Tony's things for any evidence that he may have found." He informed the director.

"Very well, report to me if any evidence that will help this case is found. I'll see you in a few days" Vance answered more causally now that everything had been settled, "And let me know if anything changes with Agent DiNozzo."

"I will" Gibbs answered before he flipped his cell closed. He then walked into their temporary head quarters.

Agent Jensen, Ziva and about three other agents were standing in front of a screen near a table full of files they were all reading through. Gibbs walked up behind Ziva and put his hand carefully on her shoulder. Ziva started a bit. She had gotten so engrossed in researching the files that she had forgotten that Agent Gibbs was even there.

"Gibbs" Ziva blurted out "You startled me."

Gibbs put his hand back on her shoulder and then dropped it when he reached for one of the unread files. Agent Jensen turned around to face the older agent, prepared to fill him in on the search for the rest of Reynolds men and the man himself.

"Agent Gibbs" Jensen said "We've been going through the dossiers and photos of all of Reynolds associates. As you know we've been able to track down most of his low level associates and arrest them. But unfortunately he has been recruiting other marines stationed not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also in the U.S. It may take months or years to track everyone down. We may have to put more agents undercover to catch who we've already identified," Jensen sighed with disgust, "I never realized Reynolds operation was so large." The F.B.I. agent through down a file he had been holding, "My plan for now is to focus the search here for Captain Reynolds and these other men. Though, like I said yesterday, I am very sure that he is on his way back to the United States. I do think that he has realized that his fast get away isn't going to be as easy as he had planned it. Agent Fornell is heading up the search on the other end in D.C. And, from what I've been told he's one of the best by reputation as you are." The man looked up. His face was haggard from long hours of exhausting work. He was tired, but he was also determined to do his best in finding Reynolds and his men along with closing down their operation.

"Thanks for the update" Agent Gibbs told him. He too was exhausted and slumped down into the closest chair. He was impressed with Agent Jensen and knew the man, like himself, would not give up until the operation was closed down and the men including Reynolds were in prison.

Gibbs nodded his gratefulness to the other man before he spoke. "And Agent Jensen, my team is being sent back, minus DiNozzo, in three days. And I'd be happy to be the one to accompany Agent Carlson's body back to his wife and children."

Jensen nodded back his gratitude and then walked until he disappeared into the crowd of agents.

Gibbs turned to get another file to read along side of Ziva who was engrossed in the file she was reading. He could see that the young moussad agent was as worn out and as tired as the rest of them. He knew she hide behind her training, even though she was very good at it he could still read her. He knew she wouldn't leave a stone unturned, this was personal, since Tony had also been hurt, and badly.

**IRAG BASE HOSPITAL**

McGee woke up after falling asleep while he read though a mountain of case files he had been given to work on. He had hoped that one of those files would have a lead on any information that would show where Reynolds was or, who was hiding him. McGee decided he needed some coffee. He turned to see that Tony was still asleep. He then slipped out of the room, but before he could get to far a nurse stopped him and led him to the nurse's station that sat in front of Tony's room.

"Agent McGee" the nurse said "Agent Gibbs is on the line. His call was just transferred to here from the switchboard." The nurse pushed the phone towards the agent.

"Thanks." McGee answered as he picked up the phone. He hesitated for a moment before he put the phone to his ear.

"Boss?" McGee answered.

"McGee." Gibbs answered brusquely "I'll be back in about an hour. After I get back to the hospital I need you to pack your gear. Then you and Ziva are to get Tony's things from the base and see if he has any evidence he collected. Then we can take his things with us. Anything personal, bring to his room. I want you to also talk to the commanding officer and see if he may have any information about Captain Reynolds or other associates that may have been stationed where DiNozzo was. Also update him on what is going on." He informed his agent.

"Okay Boss" McGee stammered "Uh have you told Tony yet? I mean, is he coming back with us? I assume you want to tell him yourself. I can if you want me to." McGee rambled.

"No McGee" Gibbs quietly cut him off, "Let me tell him myself. He's not doing so well right now. I'll be there soon. Just don't leave him alone. Got it?" Gibbs questioned and then waited for his answer.

"Yes boss, I've got it." McGee answered.

"Okay." Gibbs answered back "Now get your butt back into DiNozzo's room. Again, don't say anything about this to Tony or I'll head slap you into next week." He stated adamantly.

"Got it boss" McGee answered and then hung up the phone. He then started to walk back inside the hospital room thinking over what his boss had just said to him.

Tim sat down in the hard chair, the coffee forgotten as he again started to read through more case files until his boss returned. He had just settled back into the chair with a current file when he noticed a pair of green eyes glaring back at him. The younger man immediately closed down his laptop and hurried over to his friend's side. McGee turned to him with a smile. Excited to see his friend awake, he didn't realize that Tony was clearly very upset.

"Hey Tony." McGee said with a smile, "It's good to see that you're awake finally. Oh and Gibbs and the others will be here later to see you." He informed his friend.

McGee turned around and put the laptop back in its bag. When his attention came back to his friend he realized that Tony hadn't answered him yet. He then saw the dangerous glint in the other agent's eyes. He'd only seen it a few times before and it usually wasn't good. It actually scared him when the darker side of Tony came out. But when it happened, he and Ziva usually managed to stay far away until he got that dark mood under control. Normally a few words from Gibbs or a night in their boss' basement working on the boat with a six pack of beer and pizza where he'd talk would get out him out of that dark place. The younger man was about to pretend that nothing was going on when heard a voice yell at him.

"Probie!" Tony said with a tone that scared McGee "Who were you talking to a minute ago?"

"No one Tony" McGee stammered "No one important at all."

"You're lying, McGee" Tony said with so much venom in his voice that it sent chills down the younger man's spine "It was Gibbs. Wasn't it? Damn it! Tell me the truth!"

Never in his life had he ever heard that tone of voice directed toward him. Tony had usually saved that side of himself for suspects or dangerous criminals he would interrogate if he couldn't get to them in his usual way. Once or twice he might snap at the team after a rough or difficult case. He saw the way the normally genial agent looked at him, he was tempted to run from the room to avoid Tony's wrath. But he knew that Gibbs would kill him if he left. He decided to quickly but discretely move out of the older man's reach. McGee took a deep breath before answering Tony.

"Uh Tony" McGee stammered "It was Gibbs. He said that he had to go and take care of a few things and he was heading straight back here. He said that he would spend the rest of the day with you." McGee hoped that appeased the older man.

Tony looked over at his friend with a furrowed brow while he tried to process everything that he had heard both from the phone and from Tim. His mind was still fuzzy and there were only two things that kept haunting him. The first one was that Gibbs had left him yet again and the second one was that because of Gibbs, Agent Carlson was dead. That was the only conclusion he could come up with for Gibbs absence. His boss just didn't care about him anymore.

"You're not telling me everything, McGee." Tony said with even more venom in his voice. He was going to get the truth from the younger man one way or another. "Now I heard you ask Gibbs whether I was coming. Now damn it McLiar, tell me the truth now! Cause if you don't you'll be the one in a hospital bed."

McGee gulped at the thought of Tony coming after him. He just couldn't understand where all of this anger was coming from. Or why Tony was directing all of it at him? He knew that Gibbs would kill him if he told DiNozzo that they were leaving without him. But he was also afraid of what Tony would do if he didn't. He certainly didn't want his friend to hurt himself again. He was also afraid of what Tony would do if he got a hold of him. With that in mind he decided to try and hold off until Gibbs arrived. He knew that his boss order him not to tell DiNozzo. Gibbs was the one would wanted to explain why they had to leave and without DiNozzo.

"Tony" McGee answered calmly but quickly "I'm telling you everything that Gibbs told me. So there's no need to get upset."

Clearly it was the wrong thing to say. All of a sudden Tony stared down at the I.V. lines and followed it to where the line entered with his finger. He placed his two fingers around the catheter where the I.V. entered and lifted it up slightly. He hadn't pulled it out yet, but made it clear to McGee that if he didn't get the right answer he would pull it out and then climb out of the bed.

"I know that you're lying to me McGee!" Tony growled out "Now either tell me the truth or I am getting out of this bed to go and find him myself. So what is it McGee …… are you going to tell me the truth or are you a liar just like Gibbs is?" Tony spat out as he looked at McGee with dangerously narrow eyes.

"Tony" Tim pleaded "Damn it! I am not going to lie to you. Gibbs said he needed to talk to you about some things when he got here. I need to let **him **talk to you. Okay?" Tim answered while his heart pounded hard against his chest.

McGee started over to the call button on the side of the bed closest to him. He winced and then stopped when he saw Tony start to rip out the IV line by the catheter needle from his vein. McGee was about the press the call button when Tony spoke again. Tim's hands were shaking as he turned to stare into the other man's eyes. He had never seen so much sadness and despair in anyone's eyes before as he did right now. He couldn't bear to see all the pain that were mirrored in those eyes. He didn't understand how Tony's moods could change so quickly, from dark hatred to saddened fear and despair. Suddenly he knew there was no other choice. He'd have to go against Gibbs, break down and tell Tony the truth.

"Damn it McGee" Tony said with a sob "Just tell me the truth. Just say that you guys are abandoning me again. I should have known that Gibbs didn't give a damn about me, hasn't in a long time. If he did, Agent Carlson would be alive right now." He panted out and then took in a ragged breath.

Tony's hand still held on to the IV catheter in despair. He knew he'd rip it out if he had to. After a moment he pushed out his anger more, in order to scare the younger agent so he would tell the truth. The truth that Tony desperately needed to know.

"So tell me the damned truth before I get out of this bed and beat the truth out of you." Tony voice bitterly demanded.

Tim took a long gulp of breath while carefully choosing the words he wanted to use. "Tony, we've been called back to D.C. by Vance. We leave in a couple of days. Gibbs wanted to wait until you were ready to go, but the orders are, that we leave." Tim didn't know if he had done the right thing or not, he prayed that it was. He feared Gibbs would be angry with him, but he couldn't let Tony get so excited and pull out his I.V. or hurt himself even worse.

"So you're leaving me alone? Is that right?" Tony asked warily "I knew you guys are just going to abandon me." Tony's voice changed as he spoke the last part in quiet fear.

"No Tony" McGee replied "No one is abandoning you. Gibbs fought to stay here with you. But Vance said that he was granting the F.B.I s request to have the team sent back and work together in order to catch Reynolds when he tries to come back to the US."

McGee watched as Tony's body started to shake. Tears slowly slid down the Senior Field Agent's face. His eyes glanced down at the hand that still held the I.V. catheter and seemed to consider if he should take it out. Tim jumped up at the sight of Tony's tears and noticed where his eyes stared. He wanted to help his friend, calm him down. Suddenly, Tony started to rant once again about being abandoned as well as betrayed. Tim backed up slowly, afraid he'd make the matter worse if he went to close to his friend.

"No!" Tony yelled as he fought to control the tears and tremors that betrayed his own body, "What I want was for Gibbs to have brought Carlson back. And I want him to admit that this was entirely his fault. And I want you to admit the truth McGee. You and Gibbs obviously don't think that I can handle it. But I know that Gibbs is leaving because he is done with me. He's just going to leave me like some worthless piece of trash. I should have seen this coming! No, I did see it and have for a long time, only I didn't want to admit it." Tony forlornly stated the last part.

McGee started to panic when he heard the emotion in Tony's voice, but that panic came more when that tone changed. He saw the quick change that came over his friend, one of irrational behavior, one that seemed to cry out for help. Only McGee didn't know how to help. He stood there frozen at the frenzy that took over Tony as he finally pulled out the I.V. catheter. Then Tim watched as Tony battled with the blanket that twisted around his body and held him to the bed.

"Toonnyy" McGee pleaded while he kept his attention split between his friend and the door. He no longer cared how mad Gibbs would be, he just wished the man would walk in and handle the situation. "That's not true. We all want you, especially Gibbs. And the reason why we are leaving is why Gibbs is hurrying over here to talk to you. I think that he's got someone coming to stay with you and you won't be alone." McGee tried in vain to explain, only to see he hadn't gotten through. He sighed and tried to think what else to do as he listened and watched Tony.

"Shut your lying face up!" Tony yelled as he fell from the bed onto the ground with a sickening thud. He lay there at first in shock that he had escaped the bed and the annoying I.V. as his arm bleed onto the floor.

"Tony!" McGee yelled in fear, afraid of how bad the other agent had harmed himself. He was finally able to get to the call button and frantically pressed it.

Then McGee quickly went over to where Tony lay. "Damn you. Gibbs is going to kill me for letting you hurt yourself. Please just let me help." He worriedly rambled.

The younger man quickly got to his knees to try and help his injured friend up. Tony immediately started fighting McGee when he felt the other man's touch. "GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU DON'T CARE, NONE OF YOU CARE! I SAID, GET AWAAAAAYYY!!!" Tony screamed with not only anxiety, but also agitation.

The screams bounced off the walls and echoed through the room. Tim started to yell for help knowing he needed it. He couldn't control Tony who wasn't rational at the moment. Adrenalin pumped through the man's veins and made him stronger. He used that strength to push McGee away. McGee's body was thrown towards the bed, his arms whirled to catch himself, but he couldn't as his head landed against the bed mattress, just missing the hard metal frame.

"Damn it Tony" McGee pleaded as he got up and scurried back over. He finally managed to pull his friend up on the floor, "Stop fighting me. The doctors and nurses will be here any minute." McGee let out a heavy sigh from the physical commotion and because he didn't know how to get through to DiNozzo.

He had just gotten Tony to focus a little more on him when the Calvary seemed to run into the room. The orderlies pulled McGee away and then pulled Tony up and back into bed while Tony fought them.

"Get some restraints on him!" The Intern yelled out to the orderlies.

"Nurse set up an I.V. in his other arm. I'll check out this site for damage." The Intern ordered more calmly after the orderlies had put the restraints on.

Tony still fought, but with the restraints on he couldn't do any damage to himself or anyone else. The staff held Tony as they worked on him. He bucked his back and carried on along with his loud verbal abuse. The staff was used to this and ignored him. The nurse set up another I.V. and the intern determined there was no damage to the other I.V site. He held some gauze to stop the bleeding and then took the now red gauze off. He then taped a fresh bandage in its place.

"What the hell happened here?" Dr. Myers snapped as the staff still tried to calm Tony down. The doctor looked over at McGee and then pulled him aside to a quieter corner of the room.

"He overheard a conversation I had with Agent Gibbs who told me we leave for the States in a few days. I thought Tony was still asleep." McGee shook his head as he continued, "Tony must have heard my side of the conversation and knew we were ordered to go back to D.C." McGee continued as he watched his friend maintain the fight. "He got hysterical and that's when he pulled out the IV lines and fell on the floor. I was trying to help him when you guys all came in." McGee finished, his eyes now fully on Tony as were the doctor's.

The doctor patted Tim on the shoulder before he went over to the nurse, "I want him sedated nurse, I.V. push, now. Doctor Thomas you can leave, thank you for your help. The rest of you can leave too. " He ordered.

The doctor watched everyone leave and the nurse return with the syringe. She plunged it into the port and emptied the sedative. The doctor then watched as Tony's fight lessoned until he was in a medicated sleep. The nurse left while the doctor took hold of McGee's elbow and led him out of the room.

TBC

I was wondering if anyone remembered the watch that Tony wore in the beginning of the chapter. Well the significance will be explained in the next couple of chapters. Again thanks so much for reading!

Sarah


	14. Chapter 14

Gone

Chapter 14

A/n First of all I want to apologize for the over two month delay between chapters. Life and a runaway muse is my only excuse. But my muse came back a few weeks ago and that led to what was supposed one chapter turned into a lot more. So three chapters are almost done. Here is the first of the three chapters. The others will be posted around the time it takes to get the next part done.

Now thanks to crokettsgirl for helping me get the monstrosity of a chapter done. Also for dealing with my major breakdown and writers block. Thanks also for being such a sounding board. She also found the time to make this chapter as great as it is now. Thanks. Also thanks to scousemuz1k for helping with some of the dialog and moral support. And thanks to everyone has read and reviewed this story and have stuck around through all of the long delays. And now here is the chapter…….

Tim was sitting in the chair outside Tony's door, his hands shaking. He had never seen Tony in that state before and never wanted to again. Gibbs would be so angry at him for first, allowing Tony to drag the true that they were leaving without him and second the state Tony had worked himself into. He knew Gibbs wouldn't like either one or the fact that the doctor gave him a sedative. He closed his eyes to try and relax when he noticed the light snore from the room, the sedative did its job and Tony was calm as well as asleep. He figured that now he could go back in the room. He jumped when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. He stopped from retrieving his bag and didn't leave his chair to enter the room. His heart slowed to normal as he sat up and turned around to come face to face with his boss.

"What happened, McGee?" Gibbs asked as he sat in a chair beside him.

"Tony woke up a little while ago," McGee stammered, "He heard me talking to you on the phone about us leaving. He made me tell him. I tried not to but he threatened to pull out the IV's and come to find you. I'm sorry boss. I thought that Tony was asleep." The younger man explained. He cringed waiting to be yelled at for how he handed the situation. After all he wasn't supposed to tell Tony they were leaving or get the other agent upset and he had done both. He was surprise when Gibbs hand softened on his shoulder.

"McGee" Gibbs said "It's not your fault that you told DiNozzo. I should have been there when he woke up. So you've got nothing to worry about, if it's anyone's fault it should be mine. I never should have left you two alone. I apologize for that," The older agent explained and then held up a hand to finish, "Remember what I said, apologies are okay between friends."

McGee was floored. He looked at his boss' face. There was no anger that faced him and he had felt that it was his fault for Tony finding out and having to be sedated. He felt so sure that Gibbs would feel the same way and give him a dressing down, but, again, there was no anger in the lead agent, not at him anyway.

"But Boss!" Tim answered, "You told me not to tell him about our leaving because he would get upset and he did just like you said. That was my fault." Tim couldn't put the blame down.

Gibbs stood up so he could kneel down in front of his young agent. He could tell that McGee was just as upset as he was. However, Gibbs had years of practice at hiding his feelings the young agent hadn't. Gibbs had just listened to him admit that what happened with DiNozzo was his fault.

"Tim" Gibbs said kindly "Like I said it's not your fault. You go and pack up Tony's things with Ziva right now. Don't worry I am going to have a talk with DiNozzo later, when he is up to it. Just go and don't worry it."

Gibbs reached over and cupped the young man on the back of the head. He watched McGee walk down the long hallway and then out the door into the blinding summer light. Gibbs then put a large thermos of coffee in the large bag he had and proceeded into the hospital room.

McGee jumped into the jeep he had drove and sped down the long road to the base. He was anxious to get back to the case and get back home. He glanced down at his hands and realized that that they were still shaking. He was still upset about what happened between Tony and himself, earlier. He was sure that he had set Tony off, but for the world he didn't know what. He decided to focus on other things. For now he'd just think about packing up Tony's things, question the base commander and then get the hell out of Iraq. Why he thought it would be so great to come here he couldn't remember.

He pulled up to the base as Ziva came out of it. He pulled over Ziva climbed inside. McGee then pulled out of the agency command base and onto the long road that led to the Marine base where Tony was stationed while undercover. They had driven for about fifteen minutes before he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder. He turned to see the concerned face of his team mate. Tim tried to turn his focus back onto the road when he felt the small hand again.

"What do you want Ziva?" McGee said in an exasperated voice "Gibbs wants us to go and get Tony's things. He then wants us to hurry and talk to the base commander. Then we can talk afterwards." He gave a slight nod as he watched the road; sure he got his point across.

"McGee you are upset" Ziva stated in her usual manner, "I can see it in your eyes. You can tell me what is wrong, yes?" She gently asked as she watched her partner.

"I am upset, but it's okay now." McGee answered quietly "Besides, I really don't want to talk about it right now. So just drop it! Okay!" The last part was said quick and clipped which wasn't like McGee at all.

The look in his eyes and the sound of his voice told Ziva that this was probably not the best time to push the subject. The whole situation with Tony going on the undercover mission and then gone missing had been hard all of them. She decided to heed McGee's words to talk later. That would be the better way in the long run.

They spent the rest of the trip in silence. Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the base. Ziva and McGee jumped out jeep and then pulled out some boxes from the back. They would pack what belonged to Tony in them and ship the boxes back home.

"Ziva" Tim said as he helped stack the boxes on the ground, "I'll help you in with the boxes and put them by Tony's bunk. Then I'll go speak to the base commander. When I'm done with him I'll come back and help you finish up here." Tim finished with his train of thought and waited for Ziva to answer him.

"That is fine" Ziva answered, still concerned about her teammate, "I will meet you here by the jeep in one hour. Then you can help me load the boxes that will be taken back with us." She gave him a look to see if he agreed, when she saw the look that he did she continued with what she had been doing.

McGee made his way to the officer's building while Ziva watched for a minute. She then grabbed the rest of the boxes and hurried over to where Tony had bunked while there. She gave a quiet knock on the door in case one of the men was dressing. Not hearing any noise she then entered with the boxes. The barracks was larger than it looked and hadn't been occupied in a few days. Ziva was grateful for the quiet and mindless packing as she began her task.

Ziva started to pack. She did it in two sets, one for what they were bringing home and a smaller amount for what was to stay with Tony. What stayed were his laptop, some clothes, and personal items like his shaving kit. She had the duffle set for what needed to stay and boxes for what was going to be brought home. The locker was finished and she was almost finished with the small night table when she spotted the watch that Abby had given him. Ziva wanted to surprise Tony with some familiar things that she thought would make him feel a little better about them leaving. Ziva found the blanket she had given Tony as a gift under his pillow, she knew both gifts were special to Tony and put them in the duffle that would stay with Tony in his hospital room to take with him when he went home.

Ziva had almost finished, all that was left were a few small items that lay on the night stand. She hadn't found anything that looked like evidence. She had to laugh at a few things she had found that were typical of Tony as she packed them away. She found a few photos and looked through them with a laugh. One of those photos had several men in it that she realized was from Tony's platoon. They stood all together for a group shot which made Ziva giggle at Tony being a marine and with an actual smile on his face.

The smile in the photo again caught Ziva's eye, she couldn't tear her eyes away. So much had happened to her friend on his last mission which had taken that smile away. Neither she nor the rest of the team had seen Tony smile in months. He had changed after that disastrous mission that left him with a horrid stab wound to the side. Tony had completely shut down, not talking to anyone and the regulation therapy sessions hadn't seemed to help either. She knew the therapy session were tales that Tony thought the therapist wanted to here, not what he needed to tell. He had been just going through the day to day motions. He refused to go out for drinks with the rest of the team always having an excuse. Ziva remembered the story Abby had told her about how she showed up at Tony's door for their usual pizza and movie night. He yelled at her and then slammed the door. Stunned after Tony had slammed the door in her face, Abby cried. More tears came when Abby heard the muffled laughs from Tony behind that door. He had changed so much.

Every member of the team tried with Tony, but he'd shut down immediately. No one could seem to get through to him. Until one day a few weeks later he started to open up to Ducky. There had always been a different bond between the two and everyone was glad that Tony had started to open up. Ducky wasn't a therapist but he was a smart man who would listen and that's what Tony needed. The month of testifying at the trail left Tony drained, but also refueled his anger and bitterness more than Ziva had ever seen before. Then suddenly Tony was shipped out on another undercover mission. Personally she didn't think he should be going and knew Gibbs felt the same. That was the last time she had seen Tony DiNozzo until a few days ago.

Ziva took down and packed all of Tony's picture collection. She never thought she'd do it but she even added the one of herself in a bikini from when they were in Los Angeles several years ago. She laughed about the history of her threat about that picture and then went on to the Team picnic picture from a week before Tony had left for Iraq. She put them in the duffle bag so he'd have them. After all was packed for the hospital and the boxes going back to the states she looked around the room to make sure nothing was left behind. She laughed out loud when she found an old pizza box hidden under his bunk. Ziva wondered how on earth he could have smuggled it onto the base. She made a note to ask him about it later.

Ziva had just finished loading all the boxes that were going home in the back of the Jeep. She started to load the huge duffle bag into the back seat that would be left here for Tony. She had seen McGee come out of a building before she had lifted the duffle into the truck. When his hand came down on her shoulder Ziva couldn't help the reflex when she felt someone touch her. She flipped him and turned to see Tim with a confused look on his face as he looked up at her. She felt badly as she helped him up and gave a short apology.

"I am so sorry McGee" Ziva apologized to her friend, "I did not see you coming. I hope that I did not hurt you."

Ziva hopped back inside the jeep after she checked that none of Tony's possessions were still on the ground. Satisfied that she had everything she needed Ziva buckled her seatbelt and watched as McGee pulled out onto the rough gravel road

"Ziva, I'm fine. But my shoulder is going to hurt for a week now." McGee laughed as he drove the jeep. "I talked to the base commander and he really didn't have any more information then what you and Gibbs found when you spoke with Tony's bunkmates. Did you find anything in Tony's things? "McGee curiously asked.

"I was not able to find anything" Ziva answered while studying her partner "If Tony had hidden any evidence I could not find it."

"I had hoped we'd have some good news for Gibbs and Agent Jensen" McGee answered quietly, "Maybe Tony will be able to tell something to Gibbs when he wakes up." McGee stated optimistically.

"Maybe" Ziva answered as she settled back into her seat for the long drive ahead. "Or maybe Agent Jensen will have something else for us to go on."

Tim could see from the corner of his eye that Ziva was still closely watching him. Not wanting to go back to their earlier conversation he kept his eyes on the road. The next thirty minutes they drove in silence back to their head quarters, each trapped in their own thoughts.

McGee still wrestled with how he felt about the situation with Tony. Usually when he felt this way he could go to Abby or Ducky, but they were both in D.C. and Ziva wasn't the easiest person to talk about how he felt to. McGee turned to look at Ziva. He knew she still wanted to know what was wrong.

"McGee, I know that something has been bothering you." Ziva stated, "You have been quiet since he left headquarters. I am not Abby nor am I Ducky, but you can talk to me. It must have something to do with Tony. Yes?" She tried to pull McGee out of him self as she asked.

McGee hesitated about telling Ziva what had happened or how he felt. He knew that Gibbs was right that it wasn't his fault that Tony was upset. Yet Gibbs hadn't seen or heard how angry and upset Tony was or how abandoned his friend felt. He still couldn't shake what he felt at what about it. He looked back at Ziva and found concern in her eyes. That was when he couldn't help but to let everything pour out.

McGee sighed "Ok, so Tony overheard my conversation with Gibbs" McGee said quietly "When I came back into the room he was pretending to be asleep. Only…..Well I was **sure** that he **was** asleep, before I took the call from the nurse's station." He stayed quiet for a moment as he saw the incident run through his head, "When I came back from the call I sat down and rebooted my lap top, which was when I noticed he was wide awake. He yelled at me for lying to him. I've never seen or heard him so angry and hateful before in the whole time that I've known him." McGee dropped his head.

"Tony is going through a lot right now." Ziva said. She shook her head at her partner, "Look at me, McGee." When he did look up she locked sympathetic and thoughtful eyes with his.

"Tony has not been himself in months. But McGee, Tony will soon be home and will be with his NCIS family. We will help him deal with everything that he has gone through. You must remember that he is not himself right now. Let Gibbs have a chance to talk things through with him. That is what is needed at this time.

There is no reason to blame your self nor worry, Tim." Ziva kindly told him as she ended what she had to say. She had kept her eyes on him and saw he had relaxed some and wore a small smile. She put her hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze before she pulled it back as they parked.

They were due to leave the next night so they quickly separate the duffle bag that had in it what was to stay of Tony's and left what they were to bring back of his with them. McGee picked up the duffle and both started to walk inside. McGee smiled and whispered a thank you.

"Agent McGee, Officer David." Jensen asked "Did you learn anything else from Tony's things or from the base commander about Reynolds?"

All three sat down at the table that was used for briefings as three coffees where sat in front of the agents. Ziva looked over at McGee, who started to speak.

"The commanding officer said that he didn't know much about the Captain." McGee answered "He did tell me that he wasn't popular with his men. He was known to send them into danger for his own agendas. And apparently Tony had him placed on report after being sent into an ambush."

"I knew that" Jensen answered "Tony came to me after the ambush and said the he thought that Reynolds intentionally sent them there to be killed. He suspected that they were sent to kill Reynolds enemies so he could get the guns he wanted to the people his platoon was sent to capture and arrest. At that time Tony was waiting for an opening to get to Reynolds and offer his services. But Tony reported him after talking to me. We decided that he should after Tony's rant about almost losing all of his men. He said that he was tired of this and just wanted to go home. So he was reported and two weeks later he approached Tony just like we hoped he would." Jensen explained.

"We had no idea" McGee answered "DiNozzo regularly talked to our forensics expert and gave Agent Gibbs almost daily updates. But he never mentioned this. I guess it was because he didn't want to scare Abby. You see, Abby and Tony have always been very close friends. And Tony would definitely hide certain details even from the rest of us." McGee thought a moment, curiosity and concern clearly on his face before he spoke again, "Agent Jensen, do you think he set up Tony on that last week long mission, so he would be killed?"

"I do" Jensen replied while he looked into the faces of the two concerned agents that sat with him, "Tony came to me the night before they left with suspicions that Reynolds may have known who he was. I told Tony not to worry and that there was no way that Reynolds could have figured out who he was. Then on the way back he called me and said that he and his platoon had been ambushed and that he could have sworn that he saw Captain Reynolds. I regretfully told Tony to be careful, but to focus on the mission. I made it sound like he was being paranoid. No wonder he just dropped it." Jensen told the agents with regret in his voice.

Jensen knew he should have listened to Tony and taken what he said more seriously. He knew this, but there was nothing he could do about it now except get that bastard, Reynolds.

"I do know that Tony checked in the morning that he returned" Ziva answered in response to what the older agent told them, "He did not say anything about the suspicions he had about Captain Reynolds. In fact Tony seemed to be happy to be back and talking with Gibbs and Abby. Gibbs told us that he looked completely worn out and had cuts all over his hands and face but that he was okay."

"That was the night that Tony went to meet Reynolds buyers." McGee added trying to fit the pieces together.

"And by that time DiNozzo's cover had already been blown" Jensen answered as he threw his hands up in frustration "Tony knew and I didn't listen. He told me he felt it in his gut that his cover was blown and he wanted to get the hell out right away. At that point I thought it was Carlson's cover that was blown, he hadn't reported in for his sitrep in several days. Damn, I should have known it was Carlson who betrayed the mission and handed Tony over on a silver platter to Reynolds. He never thought what would happen to Tony at the time, all he could think about was the damn money!" Jensen's fist hit the table at his own stupidity.

"The base commander stated that he disliked Reynolds and thought him incompetent. He said that he had told his feeling to his boss, but nothing was done and so the base commander didn't mention it again." McGee stated when he saw how frustrated the older man was. He jumped when the man's fist had hit the table in anger. He could see the many fleeting emotions in the older F.B.I. agent's eyes.

McGee then continued. "The commander always thought that it was strange that there was little information about his background or personal life. There were only the required things all nice and neat. He did apologize for not pushing the issue with his higher ups. He hoped that Tony would able to give us more information. I had finished up with the base commander at the same time that Ziva had Tony's things ready to go. We left right away." McGee told them as he thought about what he had just said.

"I sure hope that Tony has something for us." Jensen answered back "I've thought about this and I'm telling you now. With all Reynolds has to lose he would tie up lose ends. Kill anyone who could make trouble for him. I bet that he has someone on DiNozzo right now." Jensen sighed at the thought.

"Do you really think so?" McGee asked with his face full of concern

Ziva's head snapped up. "That is what I would do if it were me."

Jensen answered at the same time but continued. "I do! Like I said he probably has someone already in place." Jensen replied as he thought, "Probably someone in close contact with Tony. Maybe an orderly or nurse who would make friends with Tony so he wouldn't suspect them." Jensen spoke out load as he thought and became more concerned.

"Tony's not safe alone." McGee stated and then explained what he was thinking, "I mean without protection he's an easy target. Maybe one of us should stay, to look out for him."

"I've got protection set up for after you leave" Jensen answered "I plan to have two agents at his door 24/7 to keep him safe. And I plan on spending as much time as I can with him myself. But I'll talk to Agent Gibbs and let him know what's going on and that I'm positive that Reynolds will try and return. Also that he will have that inside person in place, like I told you. That's why DiNozzo needs to know this, so he can watch out for himself. I do have another stack of case files to go through, but I will have him guarded." The F.B.I. agent assured the two NCIS agents.

Ziva and McGee settled down to the other table and tried to go through the boring case files, only Tony's safety was on their minds. They were all silent even though each agent was thinking about the one agent that needed protection and help. Each decided that if they read through the last of the case files they might find more insight into the man. That man Reynolds, who had caused them to launch a full scale global manhunt. Several hours later they finished going through all of the case files with no luck. The last file done, Agent Jensen told them to go finish their packing, get some rest and that he'd call them if any new leads came through.

**BASE HOSPITAL**

Gibbs sat in the hated hard back chair that was next to Tony's bed. He found his mind kept playing over and over like one of McGee's tape loops what had happened with Tony. He thought about how Tony would come in and out of consciousness the first few days and how the young man would slowly answer for the Nero checks. Yet he couldn't stay awake, the doctor's had told Gibbs this was normal. Then the thoughts went to how agitated Tony got when he woke for longer periods of time. The younger agent didn't seem right, he wasn't just agitated anymore he was filled with anxiety, his eyes filled with fear and then the sedatives would come to knock him out. Once again the doctor's told him that was normal for what happened to his senior field agent.

Gibbs sighed as he got up once again from that chair that felt like a trap. He stretched his back and legs before he walked to the window. He had gotten coffee the last time he stood up so he sipped the luke warm liquid as he thought. Now DiNozzo had gotten McGee to answer about them all leaving.

"Damn it," Gibbs whispered in frustration, "How am I going to deal with DiNozzo on this one?" He held himself in place with his palm on the window frame. He looked out into the sky and watched off in the distance the light show that was landing on another small town. Disgusted, Gibbs walked back to the chair. He shook his head and conceded to the fact he'd have to sit in it as he lower himself down.

Gibbs felt responsible for all of his team and guilty when he thought he had failed them and guilt was what he felt now. How did he let Leon get around him? He should have known by the way the damn director was acting that he was up to something. For Christ sakes he'd known Leon long enough.

The lead agent remembered that talk he and the director had, how he fought with Vance about sending DiNozzo back under cover. How he felt that DiNozzo wasn't ready, but that damn Vance had spoken to his senior field agent already. He wasn't surprised when Vance had said that DiNozzo had consented to the mission and by that time there was no way to pull him from it. He knew DiNozzo would run to that mission in order to escape the pain from the last mission and not see this until later on. By then it would be too late and this mission would be added to the pain of the last mission!

Why? Why hadn't he fought harder, demanded to have DiNozzo pulled from this mission due to the agent's frame of mind. He should have fought harder, should have at least made sure his team member was safe. Could he have found him faster, gotten to him faster?

Ducky had told him that he didn't fail Tony that he needed to end the way he thought and get on with it. That he'd needed to tell the truth to Tony and go from there. To support his injured agent and damn it that's what he was going to do. When Tony woke up he'd do what Ducky said and let Tony get it all out, see what he was feeling, thinking and then explain what happened to Tony. He hoped somehow Tony would see what really happened and they could settle things. He also knew he had to stay strong for Tony, yet show some compassion as he had in the past when his senior field agent would come to his basement.

Yeah, Gibbs was always there for his team, but Tony made the most trips to his basement for a drink, to talk and to find his answers. Gibbs would listen, make short to the point comments and that always seemed to help his young agent and his friend. He hoped doing it this way was the answer for Tony this time and for him.

Gibbs sighed and leaned back to wait for DiNozzo to wake up and to hear him out. He would follow the plan he had decided on with the help of his dear friend Ducky The ME was always very insightful on matters such as these. So he settled in to wait and hope.


	15. Chapter 15

GONE

CHAPTER 15

BY SARAH

A/n Well here is the next chapter. It's up a lot sooner than the last one. Thank goodness. And thanks again to Crokettsgirl for her help. It is always so much appreciated as she make an okay chapter absolutely wonderful. She actually wrote the wonderful scene between Gibbs and Tony. That part was giving me so much trouble that she was generous enough to give up her time to write it for me. That is why I am dedicating the rest of this story to her. Thanks to everyone for staying with me and for reading and reviewing the last chapter. And thanks to lot 56 for the kind review. I couldn't reply but I still wanted to say thank you. And also for the alerts! I was so pleased with the response to the chapter after the long delay. Well here is a nice long chapter as a reward!

Sarah

The older agent thought that he heard a noise from the younger agent's bed. Gibbs looked over to see a pair of green eyes glaring at him. He could tell that by the look on Tony's face he was clearly ready to let his feelings known. Gibbs readied his thoughts and himself for the confrontation. He knew it wouldn't take long and would allow Tony to get it out. He also knew in Tony's condition that the doctors would eventually come in upset with the disturbance of their patient. Only Gibbs knew Tony had to get his say, especially since they were leaving without him the next day.

Tony's jumbled mind pulled together the thoughts that had raced around in his head since he awoke. His whole body hurt and his head ached, but he needed to get this anger out. He slowly and painfully adjusted himself and then raised the back of the bed to be on more even ground with Gibbs. One thing that Tony knew about was interrogation and, you always made sure to be either at the same height level or taller than the person you questioned. Now he felt on the same level as Gibbs, the rumble of emotions and thoughts swirled together and rapidly exploded.

"It's all **your** fault Boss!" Tony spat out with hatred that hid the hurt. "You should have stood up to Vance and told him to go to hell and take the fucking mission with him. Damn it Gibbs! Why didn't you try?" Tony's voice was still loud though it cracked a bit. He quickly went on and tried to cover his mistake. He was better than this in an interrogation or confrontation. He always was able to hide his true feelings behind anything. He pulled the emotion of anger up, which he did feel, but also used it to cover the abandonment and hurt he felt. Tony panted and breathed in deeply the oxygen from his nose cannula, he was weak, his body hurt, but just like his emotions he would hide this too, as best as he could.

"You sent me here knowing that this was going to end badly." Tony said with venom in his voice. "You should have stopped me from going. I don't remember you telling me not to go even though I wanted to take this mission."

Tony pulled another deep breath in before he continued, "Damn you! You should have stopped me! Christ, you should have looked out for me." He splayed his finger across his chest, "Me! I'm your senior field agent, the one who goes undercover, sometimes deep cover. Again, why didn't you go to bat for me with Vance and stand up to him, it's not like you haven't before!" Tony shouted loudly with disappointment at his mentor.

Gibbs sat and waited. Sure, he could wait this out before he spoke. DiNozzo needed to get everything out before he could talk to his agent. But first he had to know everything DiNozzo was thinking and everything his memories were missing. That was the only way to know what direction to take with the younger man who had worked under him for so many years. He had to admit that it did hurt to watch and hear what his agent, no, one of his own, who was like a son to him, thought. He took another gulp of coffee to hide his own emotions.

Tony pulled it a huge breath and took a minute to steady him self, emotionally and physically. "You're a damn marine for God sakes! Semper FI, never leave a man behind, always look out for your brothers by always having their six? Alright maybe I'm not your brother in arms, but hell, I am under you, Gunny Sergeant and NCIS Special Agent Jethro Gibbs." He hissed out.

Tony tilted his head to study the man for a moment. His eyes bore into the blue ones that sat across from him. Eyes that tried to show no emotions, but they were there. Tony knew they were. Had it been anyone else that didn't know Gibbs well enough, they wouldn't see the emotions, but Tony did, he saw the hidden emotions. He knew he was cracking his boss, only the stubborn man wouldn't show it. But again, after years of knowing Jethro Gibbs, Tony knew and he recognized that Gibbs understood that Tony knew the emotions the lead agent hid. Tony also realized that the older man could see through him and lay in wait for him to finish. But hey, he had learned from the best, the masters at hiding their feelings. He'd learned from his father and then learned even more from his mentor, his boss.

Tony's head ached from his concussion and now even more, from the anger that poured out of him with such force. All he wanted to do was lay his head down on the soft pillow that called to him, but he couldn't, not yet. He needed to get the rest out of him and then he could lie back, though he doubted that he'd be able to relax. He fought the weariness of his body and took another deep breath as the fire re-heated the resentment and anger.

Tony continued with renewed furry. "You knew I wasn't right after the last mission. I thought this would push what happened away and let me continue. Yeah, I was wrong and I can admit it. I still did a damn good job, you have to admit that. The only problem was I needed some good back up besides Jensen and Carlson. This whole mess of Reynolds getting away wouldn't have happened if I had that back up. Where were you Gibbs? Where was the team?" Tony spoke with quiet malice. He then shouted, "Why did you abandon me? If you hadn't Carlson would be alive and we'd have Reynolds and just maybe." His voice calmed as he softly stated, "Just maybe, I'd be fine."

Tony finished, staring into space as the hurt he'd been hiding hit him like the bullet Reynolds had shot him with. The outburst had taken its toll on his weakened body and mind. He collapsed back down on the bed with the pain he had blocked out for the short time of his rant. He panted hard while sweat ran down his face and body.

A nurse quickly came in, panic written all over her face. "What on earth is going on here?" she asked as she checked out her patient.

Gibbs let out a long sigh. "Agent DiNozzo was just getting out some feeling he needed to." Was all he told her.

She ran and wet a cloth. She wiped the sweat off her patient after charting his vitals and turning off the monitor alarm. "Agent DiNozzo you can't do this, you're heart rate and blood pressure are up. You need to rest so you can recover. I'm going to have to give you a sedative that was ordered by the doctor."

.

"No," Tony panted, "No sedative, not right now." He tried to give the nurse a disarming grin.

Gibbs turned to look at the nurse. "Nurse Applegate, please can that sedative wait as Agent DiNozzo asked. I'm leaving tomorrow and it's important that I talk to him."

The nurse looked back and forth between the two men. Her training told her to give the shot yet her gut told her to give them a few more minutes. "Alright, this is against my better judgment. I'll give you both ten minutes, but only if you, Agent DiNozzo stay quiet and calm. After the ten minutes I will make sure you are calm and you will get a sedative. For now I'm going to give you your pain meds, you look like you could use them." She watched as both men nodded in agreement to what she proposed. She then swabbed the I.V. port and inserted the syringe with the pain medication into it, set the drip and closed the door as she walked out.

Gibbs sighed. He knew they didn't have much time. He looked at his agent with compassion and with sorrow for what happened. "DiNozzo," Gibbs didn't see Tony look over at him. He pulled his chair as close at he could to the bed and repeat in a softer voice, "Tony." This time he saw his agent's eye meet his, the anger gone from them, now they held a look that asked for answers. Gibbs placed his hand on Tony's forearm in a comforting manor.

Tony saw that his boss was now allowing his feelings to show, so he stayed calm. He couldn't fight anymore, the nurse was right he had worn himself out. He felt the comforting hand embrace his arm and gazed down at it before he raise his eyes back up to the man. He still wanted, no, needed those answers from the only man who could give them to him.

Gibbs took a moment to get him self together. He saw the unshed tears that Tony would not let fall and beneath them were still the need for those answers. "Tony, I never knew that Vance had put you on this mission. He made sure he didn't tell me until after he made all the arrangements for the mission and with you. He then called me up to his office and we had it out." Gibbs thought back to that time as he filled Tony in.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Three months earlier

NCIS Headquarters

Director Vance's Office

_The lead agent ran up the stairs as fast as he could after receiving a call from Cynthia that the Director needed to talk to him immediately. Gibbs knew that such an urgent call could mean anything from something going on in MTAC to that of one of his agents being sent undercover, he had a feeling it was the latter. And if it was the latter, that usually meant that the F.B.I. was involved somehow. Gibbs never liked these missions unless he was in it directly and from the beginning. He felt better when he helped coordinate the operation and if this was what was going on, Gibbs gut told him that the operation,) whatever it was, would end very badly. As usual he opened the door and barged into the director's office without waiting for Cynthia to let him in._

"_Jethro" Gibbs heard as he flung the door open and forced his way inside "Come on in." Vance said as he looked up from his watch. He had actually timed his agent on how long it took him to barge into the office, "Hmmm, two minutes." Vance shook his head, waiting for the fight to start._

"_Damn it Leon!" Gibbs barked out as he stormed in and took a seat opposite the director. He saw he was right the second he threw the door open about his latter thought by what was on ZNN, "What the hell do you think you're doing sending one of my agents on another undercover mission. My team has barely had a chance to recover from the last mission you sent them on."_

"_Before you start to bite my head off here you need to listen to me" Vance said calmly while looking into the eyes of the furious team leader that sat in front of him. "I had intended to pull your team off the roster for undercover assignments to give them a chance to have some time off but all of the other teams are working on active cases. There were no other teams available except for yours. And Jethro, you know that yours are the best, DiNozzo is the best in these situations. Besides, Agents Jensen and Carlson of the F.B.I. came to me personally asking for Agent DiNozzo. Agent DiNozzo immediately accepted the assignment after it was explained. To be quite honest with you, I did advise him against it, but he insisted that I allow him to take it. He said something about he needed to get as far away from D.C as possible. So I finally allowed him to go, which of course made the F.B.I. happy." Vance explained and then raised his brow as he waited again for the onslaught._

"_Damn it Leon" Gibbs growled back "You should have come to me first. If you had you would have known that Doctor Mallard and I were questioning his state of mind. He's had a tough time since the undercover assignment three months ago and he hasn't been the same since. Did you read the evaluation from the therapist he'd been seeing from the department up until a month ago? Even he sensed the anger DiNozzo had been feeling. But like always, he only told the therapist what he thought the therapist would want to hear. So there was not much else that Collins could do for him. He is stable enough to still work on the team with us around him, to watch and guide him back. Ah hell Leon, he's not stable enough to go half way around the world on a long term op like this and especially not without his team to back him."_

"_I'm sorry Jethro and I did read the evaluation, talked to Doctor Collins. Well I took what he said under advisement and allowed DiNozzo to go. To me he seemed able." Vance answered defensively _

_(Vance__ then continued with another thought, determined Gibbs would listen to him as the director of NCIS,) "Besides, it's too late. DiNozzo ships out tomorrow. His cover is all set up and I couldn't pull him out now even if I wanted to. My hands are tied here so I'd advise you to let this go and get back to work."_

_Vance started to get up to show the team leader out the door when he felt himself being slammed hard against the back wall of the office. Vance looked up to see the lead agent face alive with fury as he pinned his arms up against the wall. _

"_Leon" Gibbs yelled as he slowly released the other man and let him slide down the wall. "You are going to let Agent DiNozzo know that he's not going to Iraq. I'm sure that Doctor Collins will see things my way. He already told you he was cautious about DiNozzo going and I'm sure he only said the rest when you told him it was done deal. So I think since) Dr. Mallard being good friends with him can easily have DiNozzo placed on medical leave." Gibbs growled out._

"_Don't you dare ever threaten me ever again, Agent Gibbs." Vance growled back, "Like I said it's too late and there is nothing that you can do to stop this from happening. I told you I already spoke to Doctor Collins and after a lengthy discussion where he refused to clear him for the mission. Well, I went to his boss, and two hours later he cleared DiNozzo for active duty just this morning." Vance smugly told Gibbs_

"_No Leon" Gibbs yelled as he resisted the urge to strangle the other man "You forced the man to clear my agent because his refusal to clear Agent DiNozzo wouldn't fit into your personal agenda. So you forced the man into clearing him because Tony never said that he had problems and was in need of psychological help. What did you do Leon? I figure you went and threatened Doctor Collins to give you what you wanted. So you need to rip up the damn clearance. If you don't I will personally go through every inch of this office. I will go through every file in this office and Cynthia's, every book and any piece of paper that I see until I find it. If I do, I will immediately have it destroyed and Agent DiNozzo will be immediately put on Medical Leave. And Agent DiNozzo will be immediately sent home and out of your reach." Gibbs continued to threaten. He knew he was over the line, but his fury over what the director had done to Tony overruled his rational thinking.)_

"_You even dare to defy me on this Agent Gibbs and you will be out of this agency so fast your head will spin." Vance answered Gibbs threat with a smile on his face. He knew Gibbs was blowing smoke, after all he was the director and not Gibbs._

_Vance walked arrogantly over to his desk and put another toothpick in his mouth. He had won and, then he continued to beat it into Gibbs, "Besides, DiNozzo is probably already gone. He told me that he was planning to try and leave early. Like I told you, he wanted to get out of D.C and this was his way of doing it. So drop this and go back to work now!" _

_Vance was finished with this conversation. He slammed some files down into one of his desk draw and locked it and then put the key in his suit jacket pocket. He then gave the lead agent a nasty look and proceeded once again to show him out the door. He turned quickly towards Gibbs to address the man, only that man was quicker._

"_Leon" Gibbs said with a smile "You do realize that me or Officer David could easily pick the lock and get a hold of the files that you put in there."_

"_Damn you, Jethro. I'll grant you the ability to monitor the operation and then help from here and that's all you and your team will be doing, under my direction of course." Jethro was a thorn in his side but Vance gave in to a compromise. He knew that this operation needed a team working from D.C. and what better than the best, so he figured he made out just fine._

"_Fine!" Gibbs snapped before he slammed the door behind him which left only the smell of coffee and sawdust which soon started to fade away._

_Gibbs stormed out of Director Vance's office furious at Vance for allowing his agent to take on a mission that he wasn't fit to take on. The first thing he needed to do was to get over to Tony's place, see if he was still there and if he was, try and talk him into not going. The second thing he needed to do was get Ducky to put Tony on medical leave. This way Tony would be forced to stay until he was in the right frame of mind. And right now Tony was in now way in the right frame of mind to be on this operation. He ran down the steps as quickly as he could and caught the eyes of his two other younger agents._

"_McGee" Gibbs barked as he grabbed his weapon and coffee "I need you to try and call DiNozzo. Get him how ever you can, cell or landline. Tell him not to leave until I get there. I'm going over to his place right now. Ziva go down to Abby's and have her check DiNozzo's phone records now!"_

_Ziva and McGee just stood there in shock. They didn't move until Gibbs turned around to see them not working on what he had told them to do._

"_Did you not understand what I just said?" Gibbs growled as he made his way to the elevator, "Get to work and call me as soon as you know something." The elevator closed and the two immediately sunk into their seats and got to work._

_Gibbs drove at breakneck speed during rush hour traffic. He remembered Vance had said that Tony already left. He hoped that wasn't true and was determined to stop his agent if he hadn't left. He knew from experience that if you took on a difficult mission when you were not in the right frame of mind it could lead to disastrous results. Gibbs pulled up in front of Tony's apartment building and immediately went straight to the elevator. He glanced at the desk to realize that Jim the day manager was not there. Once inside the elevator he called McGee to see if he'd gotten hold of Tony yet. The cell rang several times before he heard a familiar voice answer on the other end._

"_McGee." The voice answered._

"_McGee" Gibbs growled over the phone, "Any word from DiNozzo yet?"_

"_No Boss" McGee answered "He's not answering his cell or landline. I even asked Abby and Ducky if they have spoken to him. Neither of them have, boss. Ah, Ziva said that Abby had been trying to get a hold of Tony too and was about to call him again when Ziva got to the lab. Abby did check his phone records and there was nothing. I'm sorry boss."_

"_Don't worry about it." Gibbs answered back "I'm at Tony's place right now. I'm sure he's okay and tell Abby that if Tony is still here I'll have him call her." _

"_Okay Boss." McGee answered as (he heard the Gibbs cell click off.)_

_Gibbs pulled out his key and started to open the door when Tony's neighbor came out._

"_Hi Mr. Thompson" Gibbs greeted the man._

"_Agent Gibbs" Mr. Thompson said "Tony isn't here. He came and asked me to take care of his plants and gave me the rest of his groceries. He said that he was going to be gone for a few months and hoped that I could keep an eye on his place for him. He seemed a bit upset, you know, not like him. I heard his door shut when he left. I tried to catch up with him to make sure he was alright, but the elevator door had already closed. I became very concerned and was just going to call you when I heard his door open." Mr. Thompson rattled on to Tony's boss._

"_Thank you. So he didn't leave too long ago?" Gibbs asked._

"_No, I'd say about thirty minutes ago. Like I said I heard…" Mr. Thompson was cut off in the middle of his sentence. _

"_I'm sure that he's okay. And thanks for telling to me." Gibbs quickly answered as he turned the door knob._

_The older man grabbed hold of his cane and turned around and went back inside. Gibbs opened the door half expecting his Senior Agent to be inside. He walked in and saw all the furniture covered and his blinds closed. He checked the kitchen and Tony had indeed cleared everything out. And a check of the bedroom showed that his agent was indeed gone._

"_**Damn it!**__" Was all Gibbs said as he stood in the empty bedroom._

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

"So you see there was nothing else I could do to stop you from going. I tried damn it, I did." Gibbs voice was low, quiet with an underlying note of sadness and frustration for what had happened.

"Tony I would never abandon you, never. I've always had your six and I tried to get to you as fast as I could. We all tried Abby, Tim, Ziva and even Ducky tried to help. That's when I made Vance listen to me and let us come here to find you. Only every time we thought we had you, you weren't there or we had just missed you. I'm sorry we didn't get to you fast enough to keep you safe and Carlson alive." Gibbs swallowed as he stared at the younger man.

Tony kept that stare and knew Gibbs had told him the truth. He understood to a point, but he needed time to think about all of what he was just told. He nodded his head that he knew Gibbs had told him the truth and also knew the Gibbs concept of the apology between friends. Yet he still felt hurt. That moment the nurse walked in on them.

"I'm sorry; I did give you fifteen minute but now I have to give Agent DiNozzo his sedative." She told them as she emptied the syringe in to the I.V. port, "This works fast so I suggest you men say good-night." With that the nurse left.

"Boss, I understand to a point, but I need some time to think and figure things out. It's hard right now and I know you can tell me more later, we only had fifteen minutes after all. But you told me most of it." Tony was feeling the affects of the drug that pumped through his veins. He was feeling drowsy and his thinking became worse than before the drug. He fought to keep awake, but he was slowly losing.

"I think I'm gonna sleep." Tony slurred as his eyes closed. He then slurred out something else that made Gibbs have to quickly get close in order to understand, "I wasss a gooood ma-riiinne. 'ake ya…prooouud." He drawled in a whisper before he passed out into sleep.

Gibbs knew that Tony couldn't hear or feel him. But just in case he patted Tony's shoulder and spoke with the care and pride he felt. "Yes, you were a very good marine, the best. You did make me proud. Now you sleep, Tony and rest." He left his hand there for a while and just watched as his agent slept.

He then got up from his chair to stretch his legs. He walked over to the window and looked out. _Damn you Leon, I told you this would happen and I would be left cleaning up your mess. _He then went back over and slumped down in the chair. He felt totally spent, but happy that they had finally talked through most things. He also knew, as Tony had said, that they'd speak again after Tony had thought about all he had told him.

Gibbs had to admit that he felt better about leaving Tony in Iraq now that they had finally started to work through things. The older man knew that everything couldn't be resolved overnight, but at least it was a start. They would sift through more later on and it would get straightened out.

Agent Gibbs stretched his legs and restlessly stood up again to walk around. His knees protested after sitting for nearly two hours and only getting up for a few minutes. He really needed a good cup of coffee. He headed down the hall to the small cafeteria to find what he hoped was coffee and not the swill he'd been drinking for the last week. He had just turned down the hallway were the cafeteria was when his phone vibrated. He slipped into an empty room so he could use the cell phone he wasn't supposed to have turned on.

"Gibbs" he whispered.

"Boss" McGee answered "I know it's late but Ziva and I are on our way to the hospital with some things for Tony. Agent Jensen also asked to give you an update. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Oh and we also have a thermos of coffee for you. I thought after the swill that they have at the hospital you might want some real coffee."

"Thanks McGee" Gibbs said as shut his cell and he rubbed his eyes.

He hoped that tonight he might actually get a few hours of sleep. He stopped by the cafeteria and grabbed a quick sandwich before he headed back to check on Tony again. Gibbs stood in the room grateful that Tony was still alive. He took a minute to watch the relaxed rise and fall of his agent's chest as he slept. He then grabbed his jacket and went to sit outside to relax for a while in the cool evening air

Gibbs finished the sandwich and sat back on the bench with his eyes closed just to rest a little before Ziva and McGee got to the hospital. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder. Gibbs instantly jumped up disoriented from sleep and started to pull his weapon out. He became fully aware that he was outside the hospital when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Sorry for waking you up, Boss" McGee stammered as he sat a large duffle bag down next to the park bench along with a large thermos of coffee. "But Ziva and I brought you some coffee and Tony's bag. The rest of his things are going back with us to D.C tomorrow. And also Agent Jensen is out following up on what sounds like a solid lead. We may have been able to track down some of his associates. He was going to come and talk to you and see DiNozzo but they left before we were on the way here."

The lead agent stretched his legs again and cringed as he heard his knee pop and his other crack. He then poured a cup of his coffee and drank it down in three swallows. He filled up another fresh cup. He felt revitalized from what actually tasted like coffee. He took a huge gulp and then motioned for the two younger agents to come and sit at the picnic table. The table was close enough to the hospital doors for the nurses to come and get him in case there was any trouble.

"What have you got for me?" Gibbs asked as he poured his third cup of coffee.

"The company commander didn't know much." McGee answered "He said that he had no idea that Captain Reynolds was selling guns let alone doing anything illegal. But what the commanding officer could tell me was that the captain's men didn't like him. He was known to send his men out on false leads that would intentionally place his men in danger. He would then disappear until after the danger was eliminated. The commander also said that DiNozzo placed Reynolds on report after he almost lost his entire platoon. After that he seemed to have it in for Tony. Then all of a sudden Tony and Reynolds seemed to be buddies. For a few weeks after that they were seen going somewhere together late at night. No one ever questioned them since Tony was thought so highly of."

"Why didn't the commander report Reynolds and why didn't we know any of this?" Gibbs questioned as he tried to rub all the weariness from his eyes.

"Well the commander did but there was no investigation into it. The commander gave up and Reynolds got away with a lot more. Also like I told Agent Jensen" McGee answered "I think that Tony tried to keep things from us. I mean after all he went through with the other undercover mission he wasn't in the most trusting of moods. I also think he wanted us to believe that everything was okay," McGee stopped for a brief moment before he began once again.

"He never said much to Abby except that he really wanted this to be over so he could come home. When he called again it was after him and his platoon rescued some U.N. civilians that we trapped after an ambush. Well, that's when he told Abby he thought his cover may have been blown. He felt that he was sent there under the captain's orders, to die along with his platoon. Abby also said that he was scared and was ready to blow his cover to get out of there. She came crying to me when she couldn't reach him later. I just told her that he probably was tied up for the night and would probably talk to her in the morning, umm Iraqi time." McGee hung his head.

"Damn it McGee! Why didn't you come to me?" Gibbs growled out in frustration.

"Director Vance happened to come down to the lab and heard what happened, he told Abby and me not to say a word to you. He said that he would tell you himself. Umm, I'm really sorry, boss." McGee suddenly realized he had been played and this had left Tony in worse trouble at the time.

Gibbs sat there fuming, "Not your fault, you were given a direct order and you were told the director was going to tell me." Gibbs tried to keep his temper down when he spoke to McGee. His temper rose and he barked with what he said next, "That bastard! Vance never told me and also left this out of his reports to me. We could have gotten DiNozzo out in time, if we just would have known," Gibbs hit his fist hard against the table and then calmed down a little as he thought, "Tony would never let Abby worry. No, he'd try and make thing out to look better than they were, but to cover things in a way that Abby wouldn't know. That was until that conversation you just told me about. DiNozzo must have known something was seriously wrong if he aloud Abby to see him like that. Damn." Gibbs sat for another long moment lost in thought.

His eyes then went to Ziva. "So Ziva did you find anything that might help us in DiNozzo's things?" Gibbs waited for her answer.

Ziva looked up startled as she realized that Gibbs had just said her name. She quickly gathered herself to answer his question.

"I did not find anything, Gibbs" Ziva answered "I only found his personal items and his collection of pictures that he had taken with his platoon and some from home. Oh and I also brought his watch that Abby had given him. But I could not find any information anywhere. I guess this will be like Jensen said. We will have to ask Tony when he is ready to talk. I just hope that he remembers before Reynolds can send someone after him." She finished what she had to say, only her voice could not hide the trepidation she felt about Reynolds going after Tony.

"I do too. Jensen spoke to me about security detail on Tony, I'll check with him again tomorrow about it." Gibbs answered as he checked the time. "I need to get back to Tony before he wakes up. I need you both to come by tomorrow afternoon to say goodbye to him before we leave in the evening. I think that our going home will be a little easier on him if he sees us before we go." Gibbs then stood up.

"Boss?" McGee asked "I know that Agent Jensen said that there will be a protection detail left for Tony. But will he be okay alone? Ziva or I could stay here for a few days until he's okay enough to be alone." McGee couldn't help but say what he did. He was worried about Tony's safety. He knew that Gibbs would make sure that Jensen's security detail was top notch, but he just couldn't stop the feeling in his gut that something might happen.

"No" Gibbs answered back gruffly "Tony will be fine alone. He'll have good security from the F.B.I., I've seen to that and I'm going to recheck it like I just said. Now Tony's doctor said that he's doing well enough that he could be released in about a week. Plus, we need you back home to help out in the search for Reynolds or any of his associates," Gibbs paused, his eyes locked with McGee's and Ziva's, " You both will be here by 1300 to give yourselves a chance to say goodbye. Now get back and get some rest!"

Gibbs grabbed the duffle bag and waved his two agents off. He grabbed the large thermos and prepared himself for another night of watching over Tony and to keep him safe.


	16. Chapter 16

GONE

CHAPTER 16

BY SARAH

A/n So sorry about the delay with the chapter. I know that I promised that it would be up much sooner. Well life has majorly kicked be in the butt again but I wanted to get this super long chapter up to make up for the delay. And as always thanks so much to crokettsgirl for her help and helping me write this chapter. She has just been so amazing with her willingness to help me and make an okay story into the fabulous one you see now. And thanks a million to everyone who has stuck by me and has read and reviewed my story. So here is chapter 16!

The next day Ziva and McGee left early so they could check out one last lead before they had to meet Gibbs at the hospital. Intel had come in last night. There was a report that someone fitting Reynolds description along with two men who were believed American, but were El-Qaeda had been spotted close by.

McGee and Ziva set out with three other FBI agents at 0500 to check out the location they were given about an hour away from the base camp. They knew that the chance that Reynolds and the two men with him were probably not there. They were on the run and wouldn't stay in one place long until they got to where they were going and found a safe place. All the agents saw what they expected, the men were gone. All that was left was to collect evidence and see if Reynolds or the other men had gotten careless enough to leave anything behind that would help the agencies find them. They came up with nothing that would implicate these men being in the spot. Frustrated, they all took a break while McGee phoned Agent Jensen to give him a sitrep on the situation. They decided to canvas the area for a radius of thirty miles. They ended up with nothing.

Three hours later they packed their gear up and drove back to the base. By 0900 they all were back at the base. Tim and Ziva helped to bring in and unload the evidence. They then went to leave so that they could clean up, eat and load their bags on to the jeep. They walked outside to head for their quarter when they heard a voice call them from behind.

"Ziva, McGee." A cheerful voice called from behind one of the rows of shelves. Before McGee even knew what was going on, he was caught off guard by a mass of pigtails along with clomping of heavy boots. The young Goth made her appearance and quickly hopped into McGee's arms giving him a bone crushing hug. McGee was used to the hugs but he didn't think any of them would ever get used to the loss of oxygen that accompanied them.

"Abs" McGee gasped when true to his thought he couldn't breathe due to the hug that was forced on him. He knew it was out of love, but a person had to breathe to survive, "I can't breathe."

"Sorry Tim" Abby said as she quickly released him from the embrace. She then walked over to Ziva and pulled the woman into a gentle embrace. Ziva returned the embrace with an unusual show of affection and a genuine smile.

From behind the cubicle Agent Jensen watched with amusement as he observed the reunion between the three young people. He held back a laugh so he could try and remain unnoticed.

Flashback

Four hours earlier

_He was deep in thought when he heard a car pull up to the door. He walked outside to see a young woman with elbow length lace black gloves and a black laced parasol standing by several bat shaped bags and smiling brightly at him. She reached down to pick up all of her things when Jensen rushed over to help her. He managed to grab her before she fell to the ground and grabbed all her bags_

"_I'm Agent Jensen" he said as he straightened her up and sat everything back on the ground, "And you must be Abby Scuito. Agent Gibbs said that you'd be arriving this morning." He smiled kindly at her as he stepped away to give her room._

"_That's right" Abby said as she smiled back at the older man that stood beside her, "I'm here to stay with Tony until he's ready to go home. Director Vance sent me because Ducky wasn't able to get away. But then you know that already, don't you." She stated with a smile that she knew Gibbs had told the other agent._

"_I'll let Agent Gibbs know that you're here," Jensen informed her. "Agent McGee and Officer David just left to check out a lead and should be back in about three or four hours." He explained._

_Abby bent down to pick up her bags and what looked like a large heavy thermos when Jensen brushed her hand away so he could collect her belongings. He took the bags and opened the door, the young woman followed with her parasol and thermos. Agent Jensen showed her into a large room and placed her bags against one of the walls. He knew the flight had been long and the time difference was hard to get used to. He looked at the young Goth who was as he expected worn out despite what he assumed was her normal cheerful demeanor. He decided to show her to the sleeping quarters. He again picked up her things and had her follow him so she could get a few hours rest before the two agents were due to arrive._

"_Ms. Scuito?" Jensen asked, "Since your friends aren't due to be back for a few hours why don't you get some rest. You look worn out, it's a long flight and the time chances can get to a person." He told her as they walked down the hall of quarter to find hers_

_Abby rubbed her eyes and hoped she could rub the tiredness and worry she had felt the past several months away. All she really wanted to do was go straight to the hospital and check on the two people who meant more than the world to her. She knew that she couldn't right now, the last caf-pow's affect had worn off. Now she could feel the affect of everything that Agent Jensen had said and some things he hadn't said or known. She decided the rest would do her good and she'd only sleep for awhile. After all she had to be her best for Gibbs and especially for Tony._

"_Agent Jensen?" Abby asked as she stopped and put her thermos down, "That would be nice to rest and freshen up. I take it that one room will be mine for now?" She asked while her eyes wondered the corridor. _

"_Yes, there is one bed you can pick for your own. Then you can put your bags in the locker. Just follow me and you can rest for awhile." Jensen replied. _

_Abby picked up her parasol, thermos of Caf Pow and followed the agent to the back of the building. When they got there they went through a door that led outside and into another room that was actually a bunker. Abby had seen a bunker from when she had spoken to Tony on the computer and this looked the same. Actually she figured they all were the same. She looked at the rows of beds and found on next to the few that were in use. Agent Jensen placed her bags next to the locker by the bed. He then handed the key for the locker to her._

"_I know this isn't a hotel but the ranks aren't bad," He smiled at her, "I'll wake you up when they get back." Jensen said "Then you three can freshen up and collect your things for the trip to the hospital."_

"_Thank you" Abby said as she put her things away and proceeded to lie down on the bed._

"_They'll be back in a few hours, so get some rest." Jensen said as he walked out the door and into the hot sunlight._

End Flashback

"So tell me" Abby asked the curiosity driving her crazy, "How are Tony and Gibbs doing? And how are you guys? I've missed you so much."

"We're fine Abby" McGee answered as he gave his friend a hug. "Gibbs is with Tony now. We'll go and see them after we finish up with things here. There's a jeep that we'll take along with our things to the hospital." McGee explained.

McGee decided to tease Abby after he gave her another hug. "Oh and Abby, you really need to lay off the Caf-Pows. You look like you're ready to have a caffeine fit." McGee had to hide the smile.

Before he knew it the young Goth was standing right in front of him with her hands on her hips glaring at him.

"I'll have you know Timmy" Abby said in a stern voice "That I haven't had a Caf-Pow in hours. And secondly I've missed my best friends in the world, you were all so far away from me. I have the right to be happy now that I'm here. But I really need to see Tony. I have to make sure he is alright and if he isn't I need to be there for him. I just can't believe this happened to Tony. Poor Tony, it's like he can't get away from being hurt both physically and emotionally. Oh poor Tony." Abby pouted.

"We will Abby and I know you can make Tony feel better." McGee answered as he watched Ziva start to pack up the office "Ziva and I have to get the rest of our things packed up. We'll be on our way in about an hour so calm down."

"Calm down! Calm down? How can you say that Tim? Tony is hurt and he is feeling so many horrible things. He needs love, to be held and feel safe,"Abby told her friend and then squinted her eyes in a warning look, "And if you tell him I said that I will kill you and leave no forensic evidence, got that?" Abby warned. She knew that Tony needed all the things she said but he always kept that private between Abby and him. She knew that Gibbs had figured Tony out a long time ago and kept his secrets, but Tony couldn't live with anyone else knowing these insecure flaws. She started at Tim to make sure he understood.

"Of course I won't say a word of this to Tony or anyone. You know you can trust me, Abby." Tim assured her.

"Good now get to work so we can get there as fast as possible."

Abby sulked around for a few minutes before she found a chair to sit down on. After she got tired of waiting which only took a few minutes, she decided to pitch in to speed up the process. A half an hour later all the equipment was loaded into the jeep that would be carrying that and the luggage to the airport. Another jeep would carry the agents to the airport after Agent Jensen's team drove them and Abby to the hospital. A while later everything was ready. Ziva and McGee went back inside to say their good-byes while Abby waited in the jeep for them.

"Everything is all ready to go. I have two of my team to drive the two jeeps," Agent Jensen told them as he started back to his files. "If I don't talk to you or Agent Gibbs later today I hope that I'll see you soon. Have a safe flight and I'll be sure to keep an eye on Agent DiNozzo for you."

McGee and Jensen shook hands while Agent Jensen gave Ziva a quick hug before opening the door to walk to the jeep. The walk outside to the jeep found Abby sitting in the back seat talking on her cell phone. Abby hung up when she saw that her two friends were back.

"Gibbs just called me" Abby told them excitedly while she made herself more comfortable and adjusted her parasol, "He wants us up at the hospital as soon as we can. Apparently they moved your flight up so we need to hurry back so you two can say your goodbyes." Her words ran out quickly as patted the seat with urgency.

McGee and Ziva jumped into the jeep and then McGee started the engine for the long drive to the hospital. Forty minutes later and they were finally at the hospital. Abby started to follow them down the long hallway. She stopped and turned down another. Ziva and Tim talked about the flight home when they realized Abby was no long with them.

"Where'd Abby go?" McGee asked as they turned towards Tony's room.

"I do not know" Ziva answered as she turned around to see if there was any sign of their friend.

Now that they knew Abby was gone they used the few minutes that they had left to look for her. They made their way down a different hallway which led to the cafeteria. There they saw Abby at a table with food and a drink. When Ziva and Tim go closer they spotted the laptop and saw that she was intensely listening to something or someone. The two snuck up behind her, a mischievous look was shared between them for her sudden disappearance without telling them. McGee placed his hand on her shoulder. Scared, Abby jumped up with a gasp and turned to see the two as they laughed. Abby calmed down as she clean off the front of her t-shirt from the food that had fallen on it. She then put her hands on her hips as she turned angrily to face them.

"That was so mean Timmy." Abby said and pointed her finger at him. She then looked at both, there was no smile, her eyes squinted in displeasure of what they had just done, "You guys should know by now that it's not nice to scare someone like that. You are so lucky that I can't think about this right now. Gibbs wanted me to tell you both that he doesn't want Tony to know that I'm here. It's supposed to be a surprise. You two have to promise that you won't say a word to him. I want to be able to surprise him later after you guys leave." She stared at both of them, her arms askew while she waited for an answer.

"Sorry Abby" Ziva apologized "We did not mean to scare you. And yes we will not say a word to Tony. We must however get upstairs to Gibbs and say good-bye to Tony before Gibbs leaves without us." She assured her friend.

"He would never leave without you guys, Gibbs isn't like that." Abby guaranteed Ziva, "You know I'll miss you guys" Abby said with a sad smile, "I wish you could stay longer. I haven't seen you guys in what seems almost like months and then you guys have to leave again. It's bad enough I haven't seen Tony in months though I did talk to him and see him on my laptop but that doesn't count." Abby stopped and hurried over to give them both a tight hug. She knew Ziva saw her wipe the tears away but that didn't matter as she sat back down.

"Abby" McGee said comfortingly "We'll see you just as soon as Tony is released. And we're only a call away." He reminded the Goth and then reached down and gave her a huge hug before he walked away.

Ziva leaned down and also gave Abby a hug. "Shalom, Abby." She then quickly caught up to Tim.

"Bye! "Abby said sadly as she waved goodbye.

Once they returned her wave she settled back to her lunch and computer, even though she had an uneasy feeling. She knew they would all be back together soon. Then her mind turned to Tony. After the last time she had spoken with Tony she was almost afraid to see and talk to him. God, how could she be afraid to talk to him? She couldn't abandon her best friend over this uneasy fear. She would just see how things went, push aside the fear and give him a big hug. Yeah, that was always good with Tony, he relaxed when she hugged him and if they were alone he'd allow her to hold him and stroke his hair. Yup, that was a major relaxant for Tony. That's what she'd do since they would be alone and he would feel so much better and safer once she had him in that position. With a plan she felt better, but that nagging uneasy feeling was still there. She sighed and again pushed it away. Determined, she made herself smile and concentrate on the evidence she had up on her lap top.

NCIS

Tony's Room

Tony had been dozing on and off all morning. Since his talk with Gibbs the atmosphere felt lighter than it had been. Although he knew there were still issues that needed to be resolved he felt like some of the weight he'd been carrying over the passed few months had lessened some.

When Tony woke up earlier it was to Gibbs telling him that Ziva and McGee would stop by later to say good-bye. He wasn't sure how he felt yet about them going thousands of miles and leaving him alone. Sure he like the felt better since there talk about being left alone, yet he still like he was again being abandoned. Whether it was right or wrong it didn't matter, the feeling still hung on him.

Gibbs had tried to ease his mind and told him that Agent Jensen would stop by daily and two F.B.I. agents would be at the door around the clock. Being an agent and a police officer for years had taught him something could always go wrong. He kept the thoughts of what could happen swirling though his mind. Gibbs told him to stop, told him that he would have to trust his boss. He didn't know if he could trust Gibbs yet, but decided he'd have to at this point.

Gibbs had just finished the last of his coffee, he'd been careful with it since over half of it was finished last night. He dozed on and off a bit as he thought about how he'd actually had gotten a semblance of a good nights sleep the night before. He also thought about how he felt better with Tony not going with them since he'd be in the care of Abby and knew Jensen would do as he said with the guards on Tony's door and checking in on him. Now he did felt a little bad about not telling Tony he wouldn't be alone. Abby would stay and he along with his team would be a nice surprise for the Senior Field Agent and would cheer him up. He hoped this would help start the healing process that was so long over due, this and the talk that they had with one another. Of course Gibbs didn't delude himself that everything was fine, he knew that they'd both have more to talk about when Tony got back.

He opened his eyes and noticed that Tony was awake. Gibbs also noticed that his Senior Agent looked like he was deep in thought. He figured he'd leave Tony to it and continued the silence.

Gibbs was just about to get up when he heard two familiar voices in the hall. He decided to step outside and have a word with his two agents before they came into the room. He glanced back at his agent who was still lying on the bed in silent contemplation. He then immediately motioned them over to an empty room so that they could talk.

"Is everything taken care of back at the base?" Gibbs asked of his two agents.

"Yes Boss" McGee answered "Everything is on its way to the airport. In fact everything should be loaded and ready to go by the time we get there."

"Good." Gibbs said as he glanced back toward Tony's room. "The flight doesn't leave for quite a while so you can go ahead and say your good-byes. One at a time for now. DiNozzo is dealing with a lot and doesn't need bombarded with too many people." He explained his reasons which the two agents. He normally didn't do that very often, but with the way he felt he tried to keep the explanations short.

The two younger agents looked at each other, both felt apprehensive about the visit and good-byes after what had happened. McGee was especially worried about how things would be with Tony after what had happened between them. He was afraid to upset the other man and hoped Tony wouldn't yell or be in even more pain, emotionally as well as physically. They both stood and hesitated, waiting for the other to go in first. That was when Gibbs stepped in and made the choice.)

"Ziva" Gibbs stated "Why don't you go in first." Gibbs brow raised with that all knowing look on his face and waited.

Ziva turned to look at the others and then quickly knocked on the door and walked in.

Tony lay in the bed, deep in thought, when he heard a soft knock on the door and waited for one of them to enter the room. He recognized the footsteps, but waited for her to walk further into the room before he said a word.

"Hey Ziva" Tony said quietly "You can come and sit down if you want. The Boss said that you packed up my things and brought a bag for me?" He asked his other team mate.

"It was no problem Tony." Ziva answered him as she tried) to fill the uncomfortable silence in the (room, "I was happy to help." She said with a firmer yet lighter tone to her voice.

"Thank you" Tony answered "I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you did for me."

They sat for several minutes in an uncomfortable silence each working up the courage to talk first. So much had gone on over the last few months. There had been so much said that neither of them knew where to begin. Tony decided he needed to set in motion the conversation after everything that had happened. He had said and did so many terrible things to his friends, how could he make it right? He didn't know, but he had to try. He took in a few deep breaths to help with his nerves and to give him the strength to speak.

"Ziva" Tony said hesitantly, "Thank you for coming to rescue me. I don't know what I would have done if you guys hadn't come when you did. Agent Carlson wouldn't have been the only one dead." His voice lowered with sincerity. He skipped only a beat before he spoke, "Thank you." His head dropped a little after he finished this first part.

"That was no problem, Tony" Ziva answered "I am just glad that you are okay." Ziva came around to the bed and gave Tony a hug. She then found the chair close by and moved it over. She sat down with a smile and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder.

"Ziva" Tony quietly said her name again, "I need to apologize for everything that I've done or said before I left for Iraq. I treated you all terribly. I feel badly for all I put you guys through. I hope you and McGee can forgive me. I also hope that Abby will forgive me for the stunt I pulled. You know, slamming the door in her face along with laughing at her and loud enough for her to hear." Tony confided in his team mate with shame. He then felt more disgusted with him self,"Damn it Ziva, what on earth can I do to fix this."

He started to rub his temples to ease the headache that was there as it built up force. He wished that he was home and could go to Abby or that she'd come to him. He thought about how things used to be and hoped that the whole thing could be straightened out so that everything would be alright, once again. But could it be alright with Abby again? They seemed to be when he spoke to her on the computer, he just didn't know. He thought maybe with Ziva and McGee, things could work out. Sure, he may have to take a bit of slack from them once he was alright and home, but he'd settle for it and take his lumps, just so things would be normal again. His life hadn't been normal for so long it seemed.

Tony was deep in sad thoughts of how much he wanted to feel normal again; to stop hurting and stop hurting other's he cared about. He didn't realize what Ziva saw deeper into his reactions and strange behavior. What she saw helped her to put more of the puzzle pieces that she had been slowly picking up and putting together over the months.

"I know that you are hurting, Tony" Ziva answered as she put a hand on his trembling shoulder. "We all knew and know you are hurting. You get a bad mission you do not throw your self into another. You must heal first. This may take a little while, but you need to heal. You are finally doing this by no longer running away. Now as far as Abby is concerned I do believe that you have been talking to one another fine while you have been here, yes? I know that Abby was hurt at first but she realized that you were not in the best frame of mind and what you had said was not meant. All she wants is for you to come back home. She is very concerned about you, she forgave you, so do not worry, Tony. As for McGee, my self, and Gibbs, all we want is for you to get well. So please do not worry. I think if Abby knew how upset you are she would worry even more. Yes?" Ziva raised her eyebrow at Tony and waited for an answer.

Tony let out a long sigh and hoped that Ziva was right. He knew that there had been many talks between him self and Abby over the last few months. He knew how forgiving Abby was and she would have forgiven him a long time ago. What Ziva said was the truth, the only problem with that was that once he came home he'd have to face Abby and that was what had him so worried. He would never ever hurt Abby if it were possible. Yet he had and he would have to face what he'd done, with her and that scared him. He just wanted her to hug him, he felt so safe when she did and he wanted to do the same for her. Almost as if Ziva could read his mind she stood up and sat next to him on the bed.

"Tony you must stop blaming yourself right now. There is no reason for it any longer. I believe you've been doing this far to long" Ziva consoled with a smile "I do not think it is healthy to blame yourself. I believe you have already added that to the turn and made you self sicker. I am not sure I got that right." She cocked her head to see if she had gotten the term right and if what she said got through to Tony.

Tony looked up and answered her question with out the teasing sarcasm he usually used, "It's 'added that to the mix', Ziva."

Ziva reached down and planted a long kiss on Tony's lips. When she pulled back away she noticed a big smile on her friend's face, "What? You have fixed what I said so what did I do?" Ziva gave a confused look to her team mate and friend. She was caught off guard by how he was suddenly acting after so long.

"Wow, Zee-va" Tony teased "I didn't know how much you cared, you love me. Maybe another kiss is in order, you know to make me feel better, or to make you feel better," Tony saw the confused look on her face as she realization was setting in. He then continued on "Well then, maybe it was just an act kissing me like that. Maybe it was just like when we were undercover in the motel four years ago. But then maybe it wasn't an act. I may have to tell Gibbs and the others that you are in love with me. Another kiss would really help to figure this out, oh and Gibbs like I said. Oh but there is rule number 12, Zeeva. Then a chick like you wouldn't worry about that if we did do it," he whispered the rest to her, "Unndder. The. Covers."

A smile broke out on Tony's face. This was fun as he watched her expression change from a smile to one of her looks that meant almost certain death. But he didn't care it was fun to tease her, fun was something he hadn't had in a long time.

"Do not say a word to anyone about that kiss, Tony. That was innocent I can assure you and if you say other wise I will find out. Then I will grab a paperclip and kill you without leaving a trace." Ziva said with a glare. Secretly Ziva enjoyed Tony's reaction, it was the reaction she had been hoping for. She needed to get him to laugh and smile before McGee came in. She could not let him revert back and hide under all the guilt and anger he'd been feeling.

Ziva then continued and answered with a genuine smile. "Okay, you can tell Gibbs and McGee but no one else. You have to promise me or _I will carry out_ _what I had promised, earlier. And remember it will be done and no one will find you."_ She smiled and then gave him an appraising look as her eyes moved up and down him, like a tiger that waited for the kill.

Tony laughed and gave her one of his megawatt smiles. He knew she was teasing him back.

"I won't, Ziva. Well maybe I will but at least I won't say anything today." He reached over and gave Ziva a hug before talking again. "Thank you!"

Ziva reached back down into her jeans pocket and felt something hard in it. All of a sudden she jumped up and remembered what it was.

"Tony" Ziva exclaimed "I almost forgot to tell you that I found your watch in with your things. I think it was the one Abby sent you for your birthday before you left. I thought that you might want it back. It is good luck for you or so I have been told." Ziva looked at her friend and noticed that his face had lit up at the thought of his special watch that Abby gave him.

Tony reached over and took the watch out of her hands. He slipped it on as his emotions over powered him, he wiped the few tears that he tried to keep back but couldn't."Thank you" Tony choked out, "Thank you so much. Are the others here? I should talk to McGee. I just hope he is still talking to me."

"You are welcome, I am glad that having this watch seems to help. As for McGee I am sure that he is still talking to you," Ziva answered, "Do not worry." She patted him as she got up from the bed.

There was a knock on the door. Gibbs looked inside to tell them it was late and McGee needed to come in and see Tony.

"Tony" Gibbs said noting the tears in his eyes, though Gibbs made sure Tony didn't know what he saw, "McGee wants to talk to you. Then I'll be back in as soon as you're done."

"Sounds good." Tony answered. He lied back down on the pillow and immediately fell back asleep. He had been dozing for about fifteen minutes before he woke to someone clearing his throat.

"Tony" McGee said after taking a sip of coffee. "I thought that you weren't going to wake up in time."

"I'm sorry Tim." Tony said very sadly "I'm just tired right now and I can't wait to get back home. We need to talk about what happened the other day. I wasn't myself and I didn't mean to take out my anger and frustration out on you. You just ended up being the victim of all of it. I hope that you can forgive me." Tony looked at the younger man next to him and hoped that man would forgive him.

"Tony" McGee said and stopped for a moment to choose the right words to say. He wasn't sure how to answer him. He hadn't felt afraid of DiNozzo in several years, not since he was a new probie. But even then he'd never seen him actually loose complete control of his emotions the way he had at the hospital. He could feel all the pain emanating from the older agent. Maybe if he just put his feelings aside it would be best for both of them, plus it would ease DiNozzo's guilt and his own.

"Honestly Tony, don't worry. I was a little hurt at first but then I realized you were hurt and angry because of what had happened to Agent Carlson. Also the other undercover case changed you a lot. I know that you went through a terrible ordeal, and then having to testify against him? Well that was just as appalling." Tim explained the way he saw the whole mess that Tony had gone through.

"I'm just still trying to come to terms with everything." Tony answered "I talked to Gibbs yesterday. He explained a lot of what happened. I think I feel better now that I know it wasn't me. I really just need some time and, for you guys to catch Reynolds and put him away forever. I just want my life back, to be able to get on with it. I need to put the last five months behind me. I just don't know how to do that, Tim." Tony usually wasn't this open with his team mates. He was with Gibbs, Abby and Ducky yes, but not with Tim and Ziva. This felt so foreign to him yet he couldn't help but let Tim know this about how he felt.

"Just remember that nothing was your fault."McGee reminded his friend, "We are all here for you and want to help. Tony you also have to remember that I could have treated you better than I did. So I'm as much to blame as anyone." Tim admitted in a general, his part in what happened to his team mate.

"Damn it Tim" Tony said quietly. He understood too much of what his friend felt and was doing, "I know what you are saying, but that doesn't change the fact. I really didn't make things easy for you guys either. You reacted the only way you knew how to when I pulled my shit," Tony took a shuttering breath before he once again said what he wasn't used to saying very often. To him it seemed he was saying it a lot or expecting it said to him a lot lately, but not from Ziva or Tim. Both of his team mates didn't deserve what he dished out to them over the months, he just couldn't stop lashing out at the world. He lashed out, the most, at the people close to him. He remembered the saying as he sat there ready to apologize. 'You always hurt the people closest to you.' That's what he did alright.

He let out a sigh and continued. It was better to just get it over with, "Listen, I'm sorry about how I acted. I needed to get a reaction from you and not a good one either. So, will you just accept my apology and we can get on with things? Then maybe I might be able to get home some time soon." Tony sat up in his bed, his eyebrow raised as he waited for his answer.

McGee just sat in silence he didn't know which way to turn. He figured he'd have to work his guilt out on his own and give his friend the answer he wanted. Tony needed to feel better and it wasn't very often that Tony apologized. Tim decided to take advantage of that fact, but he also knew that what Tony had said was true. The Senior Field Agent did lash out in different ways to get reactions from his team mates, but team mates that should have known why this was happening. He still felt that guilt eat at him. He again reminded himself that he'd have to work on that guilt when he could at a later time. Right now what was important was to finish this part of the problem, get it out of the way in order to free not just Tony, but himself too.

"I agree with you, Tony. I just need you to promise me something," McGee stared at Tony for a moment before he finished his thought, "When you get back to the States you need to purge your self of everything that's happened from both Ops. The only way you can do that is to talk to someone. Talk to Gibbs, Ducky, Abby, anyone," he slowed to a stop and couldn't believe he was going to say this. But he remembered how Tony had tried to help him when he was accused of killing that undercover police officer. Tony had even told an embarrassing story about what had happened to him when he first killed someone. Tim smiled to him self as he remembered that story, it had helped him though he never told Tony that or he would have never heard the end of it, "You could even talk to me. I've been told I'm a good listener." Tim finished and waited for Tony to balk at the promise but he was surprised at Tony's somber answer.

"I will" Tony simply answered as he put both hands behind his head and then laid back against his pillows. "And I might just take you up on that offer." Tony found Tim's eyes and gave him a smile and a wink. He had to keep some of his image intact.

They both sat in silence for a while until Tony quickly pulled himself up.

"You know, McGee." Tony thoughtfully said while he let out a long sigh, "I'm really glad you guys are here. I don't believe I said that but it's true. Contrary to what some people think, I can tell whole truths. Anyway, I know you have to leave soon but I wanted you to know that it means a lot to me that you guys are here. I mean I wasn't sure for a while if you'd even come and look for me never mind come and get me." He finished. He needed to tell McGee the truth about how he felt, he needed to tell them all how he felt and he had already started with Gibbs.

"I'm just glad that we got to you in time." McGee answered. "But you're safe now and will be home soon. Just don't flirt too much with all of the nurses." McGee said to try and lighten things up a bit.

"Oh I can't promise anything, McGoo" Tony answered with a malicious grin. "But there is one that I was going to ask out. But then I remembered I wasn't in the States. I guess I could always get to know her and take her out when we both get home. And don't worry I did think of you. I thought if I did ask her out I would find an orderly for you." DiNozzo's grin widened as he saw the tell tale sign of McGee falling for the trap. God it felt good to do something normal like mess with McGee's head.

McGee jumped up ready to start an argument over what DiNozzo had just said. He was so glad to see this part of Tony back. He usually hated this part of his friend, yet being so close to losing him; Tim decided to play the game.

"Tony don't." McGee said after he thought of what Tony would really find for him. He was fearful of meeting some burly fifty year old woman weighing over two hundred pounds or a man for that matter.

"Oh come on, Ma—Geeee," Tony laughed as he exaggerated and held out the name like he sometimes did, "I really think you'll like her. And, she's not an orderly. I swear, or a man even. She's in her early twenties and really nice." He gave a lecherous smile

"I don't believe you, Ton ey." Tim in playing along found himself emphasizing the last part of the name as well as holding it longer.

"Well then let me show you a picture of her." Tony told him, enjoying how uncomfortable Tim had gotten, "At least let me send her a picture of you."

Tony didn't wait for an answer from Tim. He reached down to grab his phone in order to take a picture of Tim. Tony knew that she was just perfect for him and maybe something could happen when she got back to the States in two months. While waiting they could get to know one another by talking. He didn't tell his friend this it was just too much fun to see him squirm.

Tony had stood up to get to the table. He had his back to Tim and didn't realize that he stood in between his friend and that table. He quickly went to open the drawer and almost hit Tim in a not very pleasant place. Tim jumped out of the way and caught his foot in the phone wire making him fall backwards and on to the floor. Tony took advantage of the situation and quickly snapped a photo as Tim fought to untangle his foot and stand up and then a video. Tony realized that Tim didn't know right away that he had taken that photo or the video. Tim had been too engrossed in getting himself out of the mess and back up on his feet. Tony swiftly sent that photo and one that looked good from an office picnic a few months earlier to the girl. That taken care of he turned and smiled at his friend. Hey, he'd be thanked later on once the relationship had started

"Tony!" McGee yelled "You didn't just take a picture of me on the ground, did you?" He huffed with frustration.

"As a matter of fact I did McClumsy" Tony laughed. "And I just sent it to the beautiful nurse, Joyce. I also took a video of your clumsy attempt to get up," Tony laughed, "I think that I'll put it up on You Tube for the whole world to see." Tony teased. He giggled at the though of the video he took of Tim's fight to stand up from the vicious phone cord.

"Don't you dare, Ton- ey!" McGee yelled as he reached over to grab at the phone.

Tony had anticipated his friend's reaction and quickly pressed the send button that posted the video to You Tube before McGee could stop him.

Outside the room

/

Gibbs and Ziva had just come back from checking on Abby. Gibbs wanted to make sure that Abby's arrival was a surprise. He told her not to come up to Tony's room until he was asleep. He knew of their special bond it was different than his and Abby's was, but it was still a tight bond. That bond Gibbs hoped would help with Tony's healing process. He had thought about that as he and Ziva arrived on the floor of Tony's room were they were all going to meet with Agent Jensen.

When they stepped off the elevator and into the hallway they heard a load crash followed by two people yelling. Not sure what was going on and knowing the dangers, Gibbs eyed Ziva as he drew out his gun as she followed suit. They crouched their bodies and moved down the hall with guns pointed towards the floor. They quickly came to Tony's room ready to use their pent up adrenalin on a suspect, but instead came across both Tony and Tim wrestling over Tony's cell phone.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Gibbs loudly barked out "I thought you were supposed to be resting, DiNozzo!" Gibbs scowled at both men, "DiNozzo, bed, now!" He snapped as his agent quickly climbed into bed. He then noticed, Ziva out of the corner of his eye relax and put her weapon away. Gibbs then turned his glare onto McGee, "McGee, what in the hell is going on in here?" He stood straight, re-holstered his gun in wait of his demanded answer.

"Boss" McGee whined "Tony just sent an embarrassing picture of me to some strange woman. Then he posted it on You Tube. Ahhh You Tube is a site where you can put any type of video you want on there, but you don't want to know that. Ummm, I just didn't want the world to see the video, um , boss." McGee told Gibbs while the whole time red had been creeping up his face. Now he was in full blush as he stood in front of his boss.

"McGee!" Gibbs snapped with a slight smile "I would have thought you'd had learned by now."

Gibbs walked over and slapped Tony on the back of the head with more of a smile. He then grabbed the phone out of his senior agent's hand.

"Aa, Boss?" Tony asked with an innocent look "Why'd you hit me? Remember I'm still injured and in the line of duty I might add." He whined in hope of some sympathy along with getting out of trouble.

"For messing with, McGee." Gibbs said sternly "How many times have I told you to lie off of him?" He shook his head like he would with children who wouldn't stop messing with one another.

"I'll behave, boss" Tony placated his boss while he smiled at the junior agent. The whole thing was worth it; at least McGee would have a date with a nice girl for a change when she returned to Bethesda. Tony did really care about Tim and was looking out for him in this. Yet it wasn't in either of their makeup to show how they looked out for one another all the time. To them the banter was better and as the scuttlebutt had spread, they where all like a family. So Tony would still have his fun, being an only child he never was able to do things like this to a little brother and as much as McGee might not like it he was the little brother. Tony decided he wouldn't tell McGee about You Tube and let him keep thinking that Tony had put the video up. The yelling Gibbs had done was worth it to see the look on the junior agents face. Tony also knew that with the computer smarts that his so called little brother had that he'd soon realize that the video was never put up. Then Tony would have more fun when he'd come in angry about Tony not telling him that the video was never put up. Both ways DiNozzo won and he smiled happily.

The next twenty minutes was spent talking about the case and how little they had learned about the whereabouts of Reynolds and his associates. Gibbs decided to ask Tony if new knew anything about Reynolds while he was still in a good frame of mind. He listened as Tony was joking around with his young teammates, but he could see the lines of fatigue in his eyes and face.

"I need to have a quick word with Tony." Gibbs asked "Agent Jensen should be here in a few minutes. Go outside and bring him in." Gibbs ordered.

"Tony." Gibbs asked as the younger man laid his head back down on the bed. " Do you have anything on Captain Reynolds? Do you remember anything more about the time you spent with you or where you put the evidence you collected on the case against him? We need to get that evidence or something to build more of a case." Gibbs didn't want to pressure DiNozzo but at this point he had little choice although he tried to do it lightly in his own way.

"I don't think so, Boss" Tony said as he rubbed his eyes wearily. "I know that I had evidence in a file on Reynolds somewhere," Tony gave an unsure look. This bothered him not remembering the undercover op enough to help after the amount of time he spent with Reynolds. He was also bothered because he knew in the back of his mind that he DID have evidence on Reynolds that would put him away. Only with his head injury he no longer remembered where this file was. He thought for a moment longer, "I thought that you or Ziva and McGee had found the evidence file I had built on Reynolds in my things, unless Reynolds found the file and took it," Tony looked at his boss with defeat in his eyes, shook his head and looked down as he spoke more, "Sorry boss, I had to have screwed up, somehow. " Tony let out a long sigh. He'd done it once again. His father was right he was a screw up. He turned away from Gibbs, to ashamed to look at his mentor.

"Hey DiNozzo" Gibbs consoled "I'm sure with the head injury you just don't remember where you put it. You may have hide it good so that Reynolds wouldn't find it or mailed it home to the agency or yourself, you don't know. Don't say this was your fault you're a damn good agent and I don't wanna hear that again, do you understand?" Gibbs said the last part sternly in order for his agent not to lose faith in himself.

DiNozzo nodded, not quite sure but willing to believe what his boss was saying. Anything was better than what was going on in his head right now, "Sure boss. Who knows maybe Reynolds found it in my stuff." Tony stated and as he thought about it that wasn't so far fetched

"Exactly, that's what I mean, we just don't know. So don't blame yourself. Now, do you understand what I said about it not being your fault?" Gibbs pushed his agent once again.

"I think so and I'll try not to blame myself." Tony answered still unsure, but feeling better with what Gibbs had said to him, "Are you sure there's no way I can go home with you guys today. I'm sure that the cute nurse I had earlier would be more than willing to sign me out." Tony looked to his boss with hopeful eyes.

"No DiNozzo" Gibbs answered "You need to stay here until the doctors release you. You'll be okay. Jensen will be here to see you a couple time a day and there will be guards posted outside your hallway. And remember that I am just a phone call away." He tried to reassure his agent.

"I understand Boss." Tony answered feeling insecure again. "I'm just not sure that I'm ready to be alone yet. I believe you only I hate to admit this to you, boss, "Tony's voice grew quiet he was an agent and wasn't supposed to be afraid. He was reluctant to tell Gibbs his fears but in that quiet voice that brought him back for a moment to when he was a boy he let them out, "I guess being so far away and all that's happened over the past several months I'm a bit afraid to be alone right now. I'm sorry, boss. I don't want to let you down but I sure wish Ducky or Abby could be with me." Tony hung his head.

Gibbs came and put his hand on Tony's shoulder. He decided ease Tony's mind without spilling the news that Abby was already there.

"Tony, it's alright to be afraid now and then it's only human. Let me see what I can do."Gibbs answered with a smile. He eased himself back into the uncomfortable chair. Once he shifted to get as comfortable as he could he hear familiar voices as they came down the hall.

"Thanks Boss" Tony said hopefully "I really would appreciate it. I just hope that Vance will let you. I guess this will be a good- bye for now." Tony used some bravado as he told his boss.

McGee, Ziva and Agent Jensen walked into the room. They stood by the door so they wouldn't interrupt the conversation. Jensen checked his watch and realized that they really had to get going so they wouldn't miss the flight.

"Agent Gibbs" Jensen said as he walked over to stand next to the bed. "It's time for us to go."

"I guess it is." Gibbs answered "And I'll do whatever I can to send Abby or Ducky here for a few days. I'll check back with you as soon as we land and I know something. Call Jensen if you need anything." Gibbs gripped Tony's shoulder and squeezed before he moved away

"I won't keep you guys, but it's great to see all of you. Thanks Boss, I can't tell you how much it meant to have all of you here. And Ziva thanks for returning the watch. Tell Abby that I have it so she won't worry about it." Tony rambled on not wanting them to leave.

Everyone gathered at the door so that they could head out. Tony waved good-bye and reached for the I Pod that was sitting on the bedside table. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. When he opened his eyes they had all left. Tony turned the I Pod on and put his ear buds in and tried to let the music take him away from the thought of being alone, once again. He hated being alone in this way it was too much like when he was a kid and that was what he couldn't explain to Gibbs. He thought he saw something in Gibbs eyes that said after all this time that Gibbs knew how he felt and why.

He turned his head and reached over to the night table and picked up the watch. He laughed as he thought about the day it came in the mail. He knew that Abby understood him so well and would be the only person that would send him a Mickey Mouse watch. When he received it he had immediately ran back to his bunk and placed a call to her. She was thrilled that the watch had gotten there and that her best friend had been so pleased with it, but then she knew Tony well, knew it was a gift he would love, knew that with the extras it would be more than a watch. Tony called a week later for their morning video call to say that the watch saved his life. Yes it had proved to be more than just a watch.

Tony laid his head back down. There was something about what he had just thought about. The watch was much more. Try as he might to remember what it was, he couldn't. He thought that it might have something to do with the evidence against Reynolds. The pain medicine was slowly kicking in again. He couldn't think anymore. He closed his eyes and fell asleep and dreamt about Mickey Mouse and flash drives.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Gone

A/n Again I am apologizing for the long delay between chapters. Well life and everything else is my only excuse. But I will promise another chapter in two weeks from today. And hopefully the last chapters will follow as soon as they get finished.

And as always I need to thank Crokettsgirl for all her help and co writing that she did with this chapter. Without her the chapter would not be as great as it is. And thanks to everyone who has waited patiently for the next chapters. Thank you so much. Sarah

NCIS

Base Airport Iraq

The jeeps finally arrived at the airport. Everyone climbed out and started to pack all their things away safely, including DiNozzo's bags into the cargo plane. The flight was due to leave immediately, so once everyone was done with the packing, they gathered around Agent Jensen and his team to say their good-byes.

"I'll keep you updated on what is going on here." Jensen offered "And don't worry, Agent Gibbs, I will watch over your people, DiNozzo and Abby Scuito. To change the subject, I know you've worked with Agent Fornell before; back in D.C. so I believe that will be a good match. You both should cover a lot of ground." Jensen assured Gibbs about the mission and his people. The F.B.I. agent knew how important it was to Gibbs and how he didn't like leaving them in Iraq.

"We have and we will" Gibbs answered solemnly about him and Fornell, "I know that between our efforts in the states and your efforts here we'll get that bastard. I'll talk to you soon from either the Hoover building or NCIS MTAC room. I know we'll be talking a lot,"

Gibbs looked Jensen straight in the eye, "I appreciate you looking after DiNozzo and Abby. I know this nut job is after Tony," Gibbs let out a sigh. He really didn't want to leave Tony here with the thought of Reynolds or someone from his crew going after him, "I appreciate the F.B.I. agents at his door. Now that we're going I have a gut feeling this jerk is going to try again with Tony." Gibbs shook his head, he knew, he felt it and yet there was nothing more he could do for Tony but trust Jensen. He felt he could trust the man yet, no one could watch over his team like he could.

Jensen could see what the older man was feeling, "Don't worry, Gibbs. I told you I'd check in with your people. I will have continual coverage on Tony's room and you will be updated." Jensen assured the lead agent.

McGee and Ziva walked out of the cargo plane and over to Jensen and Gibbs.

"Boss" McGee announced "They're ready to take off as soon as you're ready."

"You'd better get going." Jensen answered "It was nice to meet all of you. I'll be talking to you soon, Agent Gibbs." Jensen shook Gibbs hand and then turned to McGee and Ziva.

"Again, it was nice to meet the both of you. When I come back to the states I'm sure I will see all of you again and that will include Agent DiNozzo." Jensen again assured them.

Ziva shook the agent's hand, "Shalom, Agent Jensen, it was nice to work with you, be safe." That being said she walked to the plane and climbed aboard.

McGee was next to shake the agent's hand, "Take care and we will work hard to find Reynolds. It was nice pairing up with you we don't often do that like this. See you on the screen in MTAC." McGee nodded and started to turn with Gibbs towards the plane.

The pilot came out as McGee and Gibbs were almost to the plane.

"We have to go a storm front is due to come through this area soon." With that said the pilot boarded the plane and started the engines.

Jensen yelled to Gibbs as he approached the plane, "Call me as soon as you land in D.C" Jensen asked "Vance told you that he isn't expecting you back right away and that you aren't due to arrive at the base until 1900. So I hope you get some much deserved rest." He smiled.

"Oh we will." Was all Gibbs said as he entered the plane to go back home. He had to chuckle because the flight was long and he knew that at least he and Ziva would get some sleep. He buckled himself in for the long ride back home.

NCIS

Tony's Hospital Room the next morning.

Abby had snuck up to Tony's room after the nurse had told her that he was asleep. She rubbed her eyes and started to sit up after her three hour nap when she noticed a pair of green eyes staring at her.

"Abby," Tony said with a smile "What on earth are you doing here? Gibbs said you couldn't come and now you're here, I'm so glad. Boy, with all these drugs I thought I was seeing things or even dreaming." Tony lay on his good side still looking at his friend in disbelief.

Abby jumped out of the chair, straighten up her blouse and skirt before she fixed her pig tails. She then sat down next to Tony on the bed.

"You're not dreaming silly." Abby said brightly "I talked to Director Vance and he decided to let me come to stay with you. So here I am." She smiled brightly at her friend with her arms spread out in a version of tada.

Tony pulled himself on to his back and then up into a sitting position. He was still trying to get over the surprise of her being there with him. When he settled in place he then motioned for her to move closer. He had resigned himself to the fact that he would be alone except for Agent Jensen coming to check on him every once in a while. However, he did have quite a few questions for his young Gothic friend. He waited until she was seated next to him before he started down that list of questions.

"So Abbs" Tony questioned, glad she had moved closer to him,)\ it made Abby being there more real, "How'd you manage to get Vance to send you all the way to Iraq?"

Before Abby started to answer Tony she did the one thing she had been waiting to do since she had arrived. She leaned over, careful of his injuries, gave him a kiss and then one of her famous hugs.

"Abbs, can't breathe" Tony hissed out. His ribs and weak lung along with the healing bruises complained. He didn't want her to feel worse so he didn't mention those things.

Abby quickly released her hold and sat up with an apologetic look on her face, "Tony, oh my God I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Oh my God you're hurt and I just hurt you more. I really tried to be gentle but oh no your ribs and your lung. I'm so sorry. Tony please forgive me. I didn't mean to…."

Tony cut Abby off when he got his pain under control and saw she was starting on one of her rants, "Abby!" He raised his voice a little to get her attention, this was something he had learned a long time ago about the younger woman, "I'm alright, you did try and I love your hugs," He looked her deep in the eyes and then threw her one of his mega watt smiles, "I just need you to use less of your strength. God, for your size you sure are strong." He chuckled.

Abby let out a relieved sigh, "Oh I'm so glad I didn't hurt you." She then bent down and kissed him again on the cheek.

Before she could start up again Tony brought up the question he had asked before, "So you gonna answer me about how you were able to get here?" He raised an eye brow as he waited for that answer.

Abby nodded and then started to explain, "When I heard that Gibbs, Ziva and Timmy were leaving without you I called Cynthia and had her tell me when Director Vance was leaving his office. She called me and I grabbed my things and camped out in his office until he finally broke down and agreed to let me come here to be with you." She told him with a satisfied smile.

"Wow" Tony gingerly laughed "I could only imagine Vance's surprise when he came in to see you sitting in his office. I'm surprise he didn't order you out after you were there for a while."

"You're right and he tried, but it didn't work. You know I was actually sitting in his chair, Tony?" Abby chuckled, "I told him that I wasn't going anywhere until he agreed to let me go. But Bert certainly helped him give in quicker. It only took two hours of my slurping down the three Caf-Pows I had hidden below his desk and Bert farting every five minutes to make him finally give in. He was funny because like I said he was trying to get me out of his chair, but I would say something to throw him off or use Bert. You **can** every once in a while get around Leon you know and it only took a few hours to get my way." Abby laughed in remembrance of the situation.

"I sure wish there was video tape of that. Wait, you call him Leon?" Tony answered before it hit him that she had called Vance by his first name. He was shocked and had to ask.

Abby shrugged "I didn't call him that right away, I mean when he first started with us. Though I did when he first started coming down to my lab," she told him in quick thought, "But then I saw that look and asked him if it was too soon and he said yes. So then I waited and I call him Leon when I knew it was alright to and then Director Vance when it wasn't. You have to know these things, Tony." She smiled at him as if it were common knowledge, but knew she was the only one able to get away with these certain things, with people like Gibbs and Vance.

Tony nodded knowingly that Abby had a way about her to be able to do things and get away with them that no one else could. He then remembered what he was going to ask her next, "Sooo, how long have you been here and why didn't Gibbs tell me you were coming?"

"I got here early yesterday morning." Abby yawned "And Gibbs said he wanted my arrival to be a secret. He thought it would be a nice surprise for you to wake up and see that I was already here. I told you he can be nice and thoughtful."

"Huh." Tony let out thinking about Gibbs being nice. Oh sure Gibbs could be nice in a round about way, like having Abby come to stay with him. But on the outside Gibbs had that wall up of being a gruff agent and marine, only nice on the outside to Abby. Tony then remembered what Abby said and answered her, "Trust me Abby," He answered as he reached with his good arm to get the plastic cup of water, "You certainly did surprise me. So do you have news about Captain Reynolds? Are they any closer to catching him?" Tony rattled off the next set of questions he had in his head.

"According to Agent Jensen" Abby answered "They don't know where Captain Reynolds is. But they've caught some of his lower level people that fled after Reynolds disappeared. By the way do you still have the watch I gave you?"

Tony nodded in the direction of where the watch was. He taught himself the hard way that doing what he wasn't supposed to do, hurt. His playing around with McGee taught him that quickly. After the adrenalin had worn off he had been hurting and had a little trouble with breathing. When the team had left the doctor ordered another breathing treatment for him and then the nurses gave him a little more than his usual pain medications. All this had made him feel better and he was asleep with in minutes. Now he learned and wasn't going to over do it again. He wasn't going to aggravate his injuries so that he hurt more or make it so he would have to stay longer in the hospital so far away from home. He wanted to go home as soon as possible and that was the motivation in doing what the doctor told him even though he usually pushed it.

Abby understood that Tony needed her to get the watch by the gesture he made with his nod. She reached across to the bedside table and grabbed the watch. She then gave it to him.

Tony looked at it in his hand, "See it was right here but I can't shake the feeling that there's something more here than just a watch. I just can't for the life of me put my finger on it." Tony shook his head in frustration.

Abby reached over and took the watch back out of his hand. She studied it for several minutes before jumping up. She leaned over and laid the watch on the table. Then she went and sat down in the chair still deep in thought. Suddenly she let out a loud squeal that startled Tony.

"Hey Tony?" She asked "What did you do with the flash drive that I mailed you right after you left? Did you change it out?"

Tony thought for a while trying to remember when she might have sent him a flash drive. He buried his head in his hands desperately trying to remember what he might have done with it.

"I don't know Abbs," Tony said with desperation in his voice, "Maybe it's in the lap top that Ziva put in my bag. Or it went back to D.C. with my things. Maybe you should call and have Gibbs look through all my things. If there was something important on it I probably hid it somewhere. But where, now that is the million dollar question." He sat there with a pained look on his face.

Abby got back up and sat next to him. She ran her hand over his forehead, "You ok Tony?" She asked with worry.

"No, damn it. I've got a worse head ache because I'm pushing myself to remember. Yet I can't remember and that evidence is so important. I don't remember this flash drive either and I could have put the evidence on it, I just don't know." He said in a distraught voice and then closed his eyes. He needed to know. He also needed this head ache that happened whenever he was stressed out to go away and he was stressed over this flash drive and evidence. Suddenly he realized that Abby was stroking his head. He felt her fingers card through his hair. Yeah, she knew him well, knew that this helped calm him down and would abate the pain in his head.

After a few minutes of carding her fingers through his hair she noticed he'd calmed. She slowed her fingers down and asked, "Tony, let me check the watch. You know, to see if you changed it out, put the flash drive in." She spoke softly and then pulled back when Tony's eye sprung open to look between her and over to the watch, "What?" She asked following Tony's eyes to see what he was looking at.

"You put the flash drive in my watch." Tony state a bit surprised. He hadn't remembered and now that she had mentioned the flash drive being in the watch, it started to come back to him.

Tony remembered getting a package. He remembered it was from Abby and the smile it gave him. He then could see as the memories played like one of his DVD's.

_He looked at the circular metal piece in his hand that she had sent him and wondered what it was. He then pulled out the note that was also in the box. _

_Tony,_

_I thought you could use this on your assignment and if not it could come in handy at another time. That might look like the back of a watch but it's not. What you are holding is a flash drive. It fits in the back of the watch I had bought you. Take the regular backing off and put that one on. It's just a bit heaver and if you turn it over you'll see that it's not as slim and has a backing to it. The backing isn't hallowed it covers the flash drive inside it. You need it snap it off the watch and then you will see two little buttons build on the inside. You have to use your nail and push the first one so the connector will pop out, that goes into the USB port. The other button retracts that piece. You can fit a lot of information on this flash drive and no one will be able to find it. I know this is so James Bond and it's right up your alley, right? LOL…..I wish I could see your face, you should have seen Timmy's when I showed him. Well, good luck and hope you can use this, it's safer than leaving the information lying around. Talk to you soon and come home as fast as you can, we have much to talk about. Be safe._

_Love, Abby_

_He shoved the letter into his pocket and checked out the flash drive before attaching it to his watch. He then bent in half the regular backing to the watch and slipped it into the garbage by another soldiers bunk. _

_God, then he could see himself alone in Reynold's office, though he didn't remember when it was. He watched himself pull the flash drive from his watch, extend the connector and then place it in the USB port of Reynolds lap top. He copied everything that was on that laptop, powered it down and then placed the flash drive back on his watch. He then looked at the time and snuck out of there and back to his bunk. He had gone out under the guise that he was going to brush his teeth and wash up before lights out. He had done it and needed to get the information to the right people. Only that's when everything went down hill. _

Tony used the controls to sit up in the bed. Abby had been watching him and knew he had remembered something important as he stared at the watch and flash drive that Abby had given him.

"Tony, did you remember?" She quietly asked as she watched him.

"Oh yeah I did," Tony swung his head slowly around to look at his concerned friend. Suddenly he was all smiles and excited, "Abby, I remember!" He turned the rest of his body around and gently grabbed her, "I put all of Reynolds information from his lap top on that flash drive. We have to get it to someone. I forgot 'cause everything went to hell before I could do anything with it. But you hid it so well no one knew," He placed a kiss on Abby's forehead, "You are the smartest person I know. Now, who do we call to hand this over too?" He looked expectantly at her.

Abby was in shock as she listened to what Tony remembered. She then felt his hand on her shoulder which brought her back to what he had asked her. Call someone to give the information to, "Oh, right, we have to get this information out. Are you sure you put it in the flash drive? Do you want me to check before we call Agent Jensen?"

"No, it's there, I remember doing it now. Doc said my memory would be triggered back and you just triggered that memory." He looked urgently at Abby, "We have to call him now. Reynolds has people placed everywhere he is well connected. We have to keep this to our selves, but we need to call Agent Jensen and right away. He has to come and get this now!" Tony agitatedly told her.

"Ok, ok, calm down I'll call him right now," Abby got her phone out and dialed the base, "Yes, this is Abby Scutio I'm with NCIS and right now with Agent DiNozzo, and he needs to speak to Agent Jensen…."

Tony kept his hand on her shoulder not realizing he was squeezing it. He was still agitated as he spoke to her near the phone so who ever was on the other end would hear him too, "Abby tell them that it's imperative that I speak with Agent Jensen and only him that this is a matter of extreme importance to the mission!"

Abby waved him away and pulled his hand off her before she began speaking to the Agent that had answered the main phone, "You heard that, right? Well, when will he be back? Ok, um, tell him to call on Abby Scutio's cell phone the minute he walks in. And make sure you tell him that Agent DiNozzo remembers and has the intel they have been looking for. Thanks." Abby snapped her cell shut and then turned to look into anxious eyes.

"I'm sorry Tony, but Agent Jensen is on his way into the field and can't be disturbed. All communications have been shut down with him and his team. They are on to something but the guy, um, what was his name, oh yeah; Agent Parsons said he'd give him the message right away. He also said it would be several days before Jensen gets back. He has quite a bit of leads he's following up on. " She watched as Tony huffed and hit the bed with his good hand.

"Damn it, I finally remember and Jensen isn't around. We have to call Gibbs and let him know," Tony sat up a little, he felt the pain of all the exertion he'd put his body through but he had to do something to get this intel to the right people. He'd worked so hard for this and it might tell them where Reynolds was. He let out a loud unhappy sigh. "I know it's a totally different time zone in the states. And we're not in Kansas anymore." Tony slumped down in his bed while Abby rubbed his shoulder to calm him.

"Tony, it's alright you remembered and it's only a matter of days before Jensen gets back and we can talk to him. So tonight you can call Gibbs, ok?" Abby hoped it was. She saw a defeated nod and then noticed the pain around Tony's eyes and hit the call button.

The nurse came in and gave Tony his dose of pain medication, checked his vitals and then left the room. Tony then smiled when Abby reached over to put the black and red Mickey Mouse watch on his good hand.

"Thanks Abby, that's where it's going to stay so no one gets their hands on it." Tony explained in order to help him feel safe about the flash drive and then he started in on another subject to get him mind off of things, "You know this flash drive you made and how it fits into my watch? Well it reminds me of Bond, you know my favorite one, Sean Connary, but Bond never the less," Tony smiled and used his best Sean Connary imitation, "Now I feel like Bond, wearing this secret piece in the watch and it having so much importance. This is something that he'd have and use." Tony giggled, the pain medications starting to work on him.

Abby smiled as she watched the pain medications affect on her friend. He always got funny like this from those medications, "Well if you're the Sean Conary of the Bonds who are the other ones that play Bond to the team, you know Gibbs, McGee and Ziva?" She laughed seeing that Tony was seriously thinking about it.

"Ah, Gibbs would have to be Rodger Moore and the Probie would be Pierce Bronson. I have to think about Ziva being a female and all but she has," He turned and gave a smile to Abby, "Mad Ninja skills." He dissolved into laughter along with Abby.

Tony calmed down and then regarded his young friend, "Hey, why don't you go and take a break. It looks like it's gonna be a looonnng wait on Jensen and the pain meds make me feel funny and a little tired. Plus, I see you're almost out of Caf-Pow. I'm sure that you could find a place to refill your jug. Get some supper and come back and maybe we could watch a movie or something together. It would sure mean a lot to me and help pass the time." He yawned as he lowered his bed.

Abby lay beside him for a few minutes. She was about to take Tony up on his offer when a man rolled a tray of clean towels and linens into the room.

"Hey Tony" the man said "I see you aren't alone after all and they let your friend come stay with you. I've listened to you, but I didn't know you really had such pretty female friends." He chuckled.

Abby sat up along with Tony to greet the man who seemed to know her friend. She then moved to sit in the chair that she had occupied earlier. She watched closely and noticed that they appeared to have become fast friends in a very short period of time.

"Yeah my boss wanted to surprise me, which is strange for him, but I'm glad," Tony replied with a big smile "Abby, this is Petty Officer Scott Collins. He actually graduated from Ohio State a few years after I did. And Scott this is Abby Scuito. She is our forensic scientist back at NCIS in DC. She's the one he sent to stay with me until the doctors tell me I can go home, back to the States." He explained happily.

"That's really nice of you, Ms. Scuito" Scott answered "I came in because I heard you two talking about where to find a good Caf-Pow shop. Well there's one just a few blocks east of here. I could point you in the right direction if you want me to?" Petty Officer Collins asked.

Abby looked back at Tony and his new friend. Something about the man seemed hinky to her. To her it was strange that he would appear right after their discussion about the flash drive. Maybe she was just being paranoid. She was tired and in need of a Caf-Pow. So she shook it off with those reasons in mind.

"Yup, that's me, nice. I couldn't leave my Tony here alone. We've been friends for a long time, like years, which is really long if you think about it. Some people don't stay so close or as friends for as long as we have. Oh the Cal-Pow, yes that would be nice, thanks" Abby said "Do you think that they would fill my big jug up for me?"

She walked over to the other bed and pulled out a three gallon jug that said Caf-Pow. Both men looked at each other and laughed at her. Tony knew that she loved them and was addicted to the caffeine power to the drink. He just didn't know she was so bad that she actually had a jug for it. Abby walked back over with her gloves on and parasol ready to go. Now, not only could she fill her jug and get something to eat, but also let Tony rest.

"I'm sure that they will," Scott answered, "Just give me a few minutes to put my cart where it's supposed to be for the staff. Then I'll walk you outside and point you in the right direction."

Abby nodded at the Petty Officer before she picked up her jug and then bent over to give Tony a kiss goodbye. "I need to stretch my legs a bit and get that sandwich that you were talking about, oh and fill my jug. I'll be back soon. So get some rest mister and we'll watch movies later."

"I'll see you later," Tony answered as he closed his eyes.

The young Goth walked outside of the room to wait for the Petty Officer to meet her. She really hoped that her hinky feeling was just a figment of her imagination and nothing more.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Gone

A/n As promised here is chapter 18. 19 is almost done and should be up as soon as life allows. I am going to start on chapter 20 which should be the second to the last chapter. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me through all of the delays with this story. Your patience is very much appreciated. And as always thanks to Crokettsgirl for all her help and for the co writing and making this the wonderful chapter it has turned out to be. And please as always read and review- Sarah

The hospital in the hallway by Tony's room

The orderly discretely pushed the cart in an empty room after he was sure that Tony's friend wasn't following him. He quietly closed the door and he pulled out his cell phone. Quickly he dialed and listened as the cell rang several times before the gruff voice answered.

"Collins" he answered "Why the hell haven't you called. I'm beginning to believe that you're not needed anymore. You knew that I was expecting to hear from you two days ago and yet I'm just hearing from you now! You better have something good for me." The voice threatened through the ear piece.

"I was waiting for the young forensics expert to arrive. I had overheard Agent Gibbs mentioning that she may know where the flash drive is! They were talking about it earlier and I think she may have it. I just need a few more days. Now that I've become friends with Agent DiNozzo I'm hoping he'll just tell me if I can get him alone long enough to ask and on the pain meds. I have found he is off guard, the pain meds have a certain affect on him that will make him talkative." Collins laid out his plan to the voice on the cell.

"I need you to find that damn flash drive now!" The man hissed "I'm giving you two more days to find it and then get it to me. I'm warning you, if I don't get a call that you have the flash drive by the end of the two days and are on your way to give it to me," The voice became lower and more dangerous, "I will make sure that you don't leave that hospital and you will be a temporary guest in its morgue. Do I make myself clear?" He growled.

"It's not that easy." Collins stammered "That girl has not left DiNozzo's side since she got here. And that damned Agent Gibbs wouldn't let me anywhere near his room. Now there are guards posted at his door. Two damn F.B.I agents." The Petty Officer explained, fear etching his voice.

"No excuses! You find it!" The voice yelled "I've got Jensen on the run with false tips that will keep him away for a few days and then I can get out of the country. Little does he know it will take days to chase the leads my friends have passed on to him," He bragged before growing angry once more, "So,** you,** do what it takes to get rid of those FBI agents, drug them, kill them, I don't give a damn! If DiNozzo and that girl get in the way kill them too. Whatever it takes!" His voice loudly boomed, "I want that flash drive in my hand. I had planned to be in Bermuda with my family by now. Instead, I'm here waiting on you. Two days, Collins and if I have to come and take care of DiNozzo myself, it won't bode well for you. I already told you where I'll leave your body if I do have to visit that hospital. Now don't disappoint me!" The connection was cut off.

The cell connection having ended and the memory of what the man had threatened, no, had promised, terrified Collins as he leaned heavily against the wall of the room. He'd really started to like DiNozzo and found it harder than he thought to do his job. He had killed men before without a thought, the last one being two months ago. He knew what the problem was, he'd let his emotions get in the way with the agent. Now he'd just have to push those emotions aside and do whatever he needed to in order to get the job done.

Collins peeked out of the storage room and made sure no one was around before he pulled the cart out. He then pushed it a short way down the hall until it was in the right place for the staff. He then planted a smile on his face and walked back towards Tony's room. He found Abby talking to the F.B.I. agents. He knew he'd have to pick up some poison for those two in order to get rid of them quietly and make his move hopefully tomorrow night or the night after. He only had two days and that meant two more nights besides tonight. Everything would be fine he consoled himself as he tapped Abby on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Are you ready to go?" Collins asked.

"Yes I am." Abby exclaimed brightly "Tony just fell asleep and I was just talking to Agents Simon and Cross. I was just waiting for you so we could go." Abby said good-bye to the agents before following the orderly out the front of the hospital.

NCIS The next day

0700

Gibbs walked into the squad room. The flight back from Iraq was long and seeing Agent Carlson's casket was difficult on the team. He did manage to sleep on the plane, he always was able to, and so he wasn't tired from the long flight. He just hoped that Leon Vance hadn't arrived yet. He was sure that he'd be called up to the director's office for a full dressing down because he had blatantly disobeyed direct orders. He sat down at his desk and took a long drink of coffee and a bite of his breakfast burrito.

Gibbs thought about how he had watched the F.B.I. take the casket of Agent Carlson back with them. He now waited on word from them about when the funeral would be. He hoped that Tony would be back by then and able to make it. He hoped that being there would help with some of the misplaced guilt that Tony still felt. Gibbs reached for his cell phone when it started to ring. He glanced down and recognized the name that showed up on his caller I.D.

"Tobias?" Gibbs answered pleased to hear the familiar voice of his friend, "Agent Jensen told me we'd be working together. Do you have any news?"

"It's good to talk to you too." Fornell answered "And how is DiNozzo doing?" Fornell asked in order to get pleasantries out of the way, before talking shop.

"DiNozzo is strong." Gibbs replied "It's been tough for him but he'll come through all right. (I just hope they let him come home quickly. I don't like leaving him there with Reynolds' men around." He explained.

"Jethro, we have agents on DiNozzo." Fornell told him knowing how the stubborn agent was with his team. Then he went on to answer the question about the situation with Reynolds here, at home, "We also have agents at all the major airports and most of the small ones all down the east coast but no sign of Reynolds anywhere. But we'll catch the bastard in time."

Gibbs listened and then informed his friend of how things were in Iraq, "I know Jensen has told you this but it's the same thing in Iraq. There's been no sighting of him anywhere. I still have a gut feeling he'll try to get to Tony, guards or no guards. I still think he's in Iraq."

"Jethro, I know about that gut feeling of yours but we are covering things from both ends," Fornell replied hearing the concern in his friend's voice. "Agent Jensen is one of the best people that I have and I would trust him with my life. Also, I told you and so has he that there are two of his best agents outside DiNozzo's door. So trust me that we are doing the very best that we can for him."

"That's fine Tobias, but he's not safe until Reynolds is locked away in jail for the rest of his useless life." Gibbs explained filled with frustration.

Gibbs was about ready to continue to vent his frustrations on the F.B.I agent when he heard two young voices coming from the direction of the elevator. He watched as his two junior agents came in carrying their breakfasts and eased down at their respective desks.

"I'll check in with you later." Gibbs said "And call me if you have any news."

"I will, Jethro. I'll call later on when I know something about the funeral of Agent Carlson, damn shame that. Anyway, our directors should be talking to us soon about working together on this task force to find Reynolds." Fornell replied as he hung up the phone.

(Gibbs knew Fornell was right about their directors and that he'd tell Gibbs about the funeral arrangements when he knew something. He was still worried about Tony and frustrated that he couldn't do a thing to watch over both Tony and Abby. He pulled his attention away from his finished phone call and his thoughts. He concentrated for a moment on his other two agents.

He listened to both agents as they talked about the events over the last few weeks in Iraq. He hid his smile behind his coffee cup as the amusement hit him about what McGee was talking about. He heard McGee talk about his dog, Jethro and how the dog missed him so much that the dog had slept with him and tried to follow him to work. He normally didn't let them go on long about such matters but he felt they needed a few minutes to unwind together and eat. Things would get done quickly once he put his foot down, but what was five more minutes.

NCIS

Iraq hospital

Tony had found two movies that he and Abby enjoyed, plus he managed to locate his favorite Magnum DVD. Now he was waiting for Abby to come back and he hoped she'd bring him something to eat instead of the tasteless hospital food. She had to bring him back a pizza or something, anything as long as he didn't have to eat the slop they gave him.

Tony lay back and fought a yawn as his thoughts turned to home and hoping of news that Reynolds had been caught. That was the only way he'd get his life back. The affect of the medicine was finally too much for him. He decided to just give in to it and take a nap. He hoped Abby would wake him if he fell asleep.

He woke up an hour later to the sound of someone slurping down what sounded just like a Caf-Pow. He slowly opened his eyes to see a concerned face watching his. Tony lay there for a few moments to try and clear his head before he tried to find out what was wrong with his usually happy and bubbly friend.

"What's going on Abbs?" Tony asked wearily "You look kind of upset. You wanna come here and tell me about it?" Tony asked in concern.

Abby hesitated not wanting to think the worst of Tony's new friend. She'd been debating for the last hour whether or not to say anything. But she could not get rid of the hinky feeling that she felt. She hoped that Tony was still asleep so she could go to call Gibbs to express her concerns. She knew he'd be in the office, she'd checked the time difference enough. However, since Tony was awake and aware of something being wrong she was going to have to talk to him about what she felt.

"Tony" Abby asked cautiously as she sat down on the bed where he had patted, "How well do you know your friend Petty Officer Scott Collins?"

"What do you mean?" Tony asked trying to figure out where this conversation was heading.

"Well, I mean that there's something hinky about him." Abby answered fearful of Tony's reaction. She didn't want him to get angry with her, "I mean he walks in right after we were talking about where the flash drive is. And he hurried out of the room and when he thought that I wasn't looking he slipped down the hallway into an empty storage room. Tony, he was yelling into the phone and I could have sworn that I heard your name mentioned." She quickly told him as she remembered the incident. She had gone down the hall after Collin's had hid in the storage room but couldn't get close enough to really hear very well. Abby had thought she heard Tony's name, she wished she was sure of this. She remembered then going back to the agents and talking to them until Collins had found her.

"Abbs "Tony answered rubbing his eyes "I think you're just imagining things. He's just my friend. I've told him a lot about myself and you guys. There is nothing to be suspicious about." He tried to reassure his friend.

"Tony," Abby said not quite ready to drop this, "don't you think it's a bit strange that he also went to Ohio State?" She questioned and then changed to a soft cautious voice, "Now please don't get mad at me but I checked out the Ohio State website and there's no record of anyone with his name graduating when you said he did." She reasoned.

"Abby," Tony asked wearily "I'm really tired right now and my head is really starting to hurt again. So can you just drop it please?"

Tony just couldn't deal with this now. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind he should but his head just hurt too much. He was suspicious at first but the guy seemed friendly enough and knew certain things about the college. He was just tired of being hunted down or someone trying to kill him as they had in the last op and this one. He decided to press the call button to get something for his headache, after he did he lay there with his eyes closed, the lights were too bothersome.

"Tony," Abby said as she looked down at her friend with concern, "I'll let it go for now. But I have to tell Gibbs or Agent Jensen so that they can check him out. I'm sorry Tony, you know if you were thinking clearly you'd do the same. I care about you!" She pressed.

Abby looked up as the nurse came in. Tony asked for the meds for his head and she brought them back. After he took them Abby watched him lay down without a response to what she said. She knew he was hurting so she dropped it and lay down and spooned up next to him. She knew from experience that the close contact always relaxed Tony and he slept better. She smiled as she heard him sigh and at the slowed down and relaxed rhythm of his breathing. Finally he fell asleep. She stayed spooned against him but couldn't sleep herself. Her mind was racing until she made a decision, she would talk to Agent Jensen and have this orderly checked out. They'd be hearing from him in a few more hours anyway. Jensen had been stuck out in the field for two days, it couldn't be helped. She knew he'd call the second he got in even as tired as he would be and she could tell him about the flash drive and this orderly. And she would make sure she spoke to Jensen and Gibbs away from Tony. With that solved she fell right to sleep.

NCIS Headquarters

The next day

Gibbs sat at his desk in deep thought. Since he and his team were still going to work with the F.B.I. on finding Captain Reynolds and his cronies. The team had been removed from the regular work roster. He thought about how he had to talk to director Vance and then how he needed to talk to Ducky about Tony. Gibbs finished his coffee and stood up to look for Ziva and McGee. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts after he had spoken to Fornell that he had forgotten they had left to chase down a few leads. He decided that now was the best time to talk to Vance. He tossed his empty coffee cup away, stood up with his knees protesting him and made his way up to the director's office.

He walked into the office and was greeted by Cynthia. Gibbs noticed that Vance's office door was open so he showed himself inside.

"I've been wondering when you were going to show up." Vance said as Gibbs walked through the door.

"I would have been here last night" Gibbs answered with a smirk on his face "But I heard that you left early. Makes me almost think you were trying to avoid me, _**Leon**_."

"Jethro" Vance said fuming "Why the heck would I avoid you. I left early because my wife had to fly back to San Diego because her father was ill. I had to pick my children up from the neighbor's house. That is why I left early. Besides that, you agreed to return my phone calls and keep me updated. You haven't returned them nor have you kept me as updated as I needed to be. The director of the F.B.I. has done that without knowing it." Vance huffed again at having Gibbs challenge his authority. Also he didn't like to be made to play the F.B.I. director in order to get the information he needed.

"Leon, I needed to deal with some things." Gibbs answered as he sat down in one of the chairs," I thought I'd talk to you more in-depth when I got back."

"What is more important than keeping me apprised to what is going on, Jethro!" Vance demanded as he locked eyes with Gibbs, "Besides, did you ever think I could help you?" He reasoned.

"Damn it, Leon." Gibbs growled "I couldn't call you back because like I told you at the hospital DiNozzo was having some problems." Gibbs voiced, "I needed to be there with him. He's in a very vulnerable state, emotionally right now. I'm beginning to think it was a mistake to come back!" Gibbs tried to show his desperation about how he felt, but it was etched in his voice. Worst of all he knew that Vance could hear it and that didn't make him happy.

"Why is that, Jethro?" Vance asked calmly after he settled down in the chair behind his desk. He could hear the desperation in his lead agent's voice. Now that he had the man's attention he was going to find out why that feeling was there.

"Because, I got a call from Abby this morning." Gibbs answered as he rubbed his eyes wearily. "Apparently there is an orderly that DiNozzo has become friends with. And she thinks that he may not be the person he claims to be. While Tony was sleeping she ran a background check on him and found no record of **anyone,** in the Navy with that name. DiNozzo also said that the orderly had graduated from Ohio State several years after him. Abby couldn't find any record of anyone with that **name,** during the time that **he** had claimed to have been at Ohio State. When she questioned Tony he became very defensive and got a little angry with her. She's concerned that this guy is one of Reynolds' men and right now in DiNozzo's condition he isn't sharp enough or able enough to pick up on this right now. I think that Reynolds is using this condition with Tony so this guy can kill him." Gibbs shook his head at the thought.

"I'm sorry Jethro" Vance answered before he inquired any further, "I didn't know what was going on. Have you talked to Agent Jensen about her concerns? I must say that from what you just told me that I agree with Miss Scuito."

"She called me because she can't get Jensen. Evidently he is chasing some pretty solid leads and will be in the field for a few days. She found this out when DiNozzo remembered he put all the information from Reynolds laptop on a flash drive. The flash drive is hidden in his watch that Abby had made it for him." Gibbs replied in frustration.

"Damn, are those F.B.I. agents still stationed at DiNozzo's door?" Vance questioned. He pulled out a newly packaged toothpick, opened it and popped it into his mouth.

"Yes they are, Leon but, you know as well as I do that Reynolds wants this flash drive and Tony as a witness dead. He isn't going to let two F.B.I. agents stop him." Gibbs curtly stated.

"No, I suppose not. I'll call the base station and have the guard notified to be on the look out for an orderly. If this orderly truly isn't who he claims to be, I want him apprehended immediately. He may know the current whereabouts of Reynolds. DiNozzo's safety is the most important thing right now." Vance said matter of factly "I trust Agent DiNozzo, Jethro. That's why I had him pulled to handle this case. He is in excellent hands with Jensen's men watching him. Plus I know he won't let the flash drive get into the wrong hands. I will see what I can do about getting that flash drive back to the base to the Cyber unit there and then see if they can copy it to McGee. I don't want Miss Scutio uploading the flashdrive to McGee; it could be intercepted on an unprotected wireless. Once McGee has it and the F.B.I. we will all be able to see what is going on and be ready for Reynolds' plans." Vance watched his agent as he told him. There was nothing more either could do about the situation.

Gibbs stood up frustrated. He knew that was all Vance could do and hoped that things would happen as Vance had said. Yet as he started to walk to the door and open it, his gut told him something different. He now felt more concerned about his Senior Field Agent and Forensics expert then he did before he had this conversation. He nodded his thanks and left the office, there was nothing more to say. He felt he'd accomplished nothing. His gut still told him that Abby was right and no one could protect his people like he could. He quickly walked past Cynthia and out the door to head down to autopsy.

NCIS Autopsy

Gibbs walked out of the office and over to the elevator. He pressed the down button and quickly walked inside. After pressing the familiar button that would take him to Ducky's office he rubbed his head and took a deep breath. He had needed to talk with his old friend for some time. He missed talking things over with the one person that knew him so well. The one person who would understand and know when to dig deeper or just listen. Now Jethro needed to talk even more about the fears he worried about with Tony and now Abby. He hoped that Jensen's other agents that sat at Tony's door were as good as Vance, Jensen and Fornell had all claimed.

Gibbs stepped out of the elevator and walked down the familiar hallway to autopsy. He walked inside and saw no bodies on the tables or Ducky and Palmer inside. He didn't know where they could be so he turned to leave. When he got to the doors and they whooshed open he heard his name called.

"Jethro!" Ducky called out "Sorry, I didn't hear you. I was in my office catching up on some paper work. Did you need something?" Ducky asked as he watched his old friend turn around. Before Gibbs could say anything Ducky could read on his face that something was wrong and he bet he knew what it was.

"I don't know. I'll come back after I think, you look busy anyway." Gibbs answered as he walked again to the door.

Usually the ME would let his old friend speak his mind first, but that wouldn't be true for today. Today he'd have to start the conversation that would be hard on Gibbs, "Jethro" Ducky called out sternly "You turn around and come back here this instant. You and I both know that you think a lot better when we talk things over. Now, if I might make a guess, your famous gut is telling you that something isn't right with Abigail and Anthony. Am I correct?" Ducky knew by the look on Gibbs face that he had been right in his assumption. He also knew it wouldn't take long before his friend told him what was on his mind.

"Damn it Duck!" Gibbs let his annoyance at himself come out, "It was a mistake to leave DiNozzo alone. Then I make it worse and send Abby out there. I should be there to protect him and Abby shouldn't be there at all. They're in danger and there is nothing that I can do!" Gibbs slammed his hand in frustration on one of the metal autopsy tables.

"This actually reminds me of a time in Dublin." Ducky started to say

"Not now Duck!" Gibbs interrupted, using the name that only he was allowed to use. Everyone else was only allowed to use the nickname of Ducky.

"Yes," Ducky answered, "you are quite right, we'll save that story for another time perhaps. My dear Jethro, I know you are very concerned about Anthony and Abigail, but you need to trust that Agent Jensen is doing his best to guard them," Ducky let out a sigh and took out a bottle of scotch he kept hidden in his desk. He pour two fingers in each glass and handed one to Jethro as he continued his train of thought, " I know you are used to taking care and guarding your own team and especially Abigail. I know you think you are the only one who is the best suited to do that. But right now you are not over there and it's hard to trust anyone else to do guard them," Ducky watched Gibbs finish his drink. He knew that Jethro wasn't convinced and probably wouldn't be by his next words.

"Jethro," The older man said kindly, "You are here and not in Iraq. You need to focus on the duties that are here. You need to allow Agent Jensen to watch over young Abigail and our boy, Anthony." Ducky finished his drink and then poured another for himself and Gibbs.

"I can't do that Duck," Gibbs replied back "I got a call from Abby earlier today. Tony has apparently become friends with a young orderly who has been assigned to take care of him. She says that they have a lot in common. Tony told her the orderly's name is Petty Officer Scott Collins." Gibbs told Ducky and then took a sip of the scotch as he paced the floor of autopsy.

"Jethro" Ducky said again "Might I ask what your concerns about this Petty Officer are? He must be a nice fellow and Tony and he must have a lot in common. And if you think about it Jethro, the boy needs friends. I know he has Abigail, but we both know how social Anthony can be." Ducky stated as he watched his friend paced. He knew there was more going on than what Jethro had confided in him.

"I'm sure that he does. And he probably seems like a great friend." Gibbs answered, "When Abby called she said that she had a real hinky feeling about this guy….."

Ducky cut Jethro off, "Well then if Abigail has a hinky feeling about this young man she is usually right, just like the famous Gibbs gut." Ducky chuckled.

Gibbs took up where he left of before Ducky agreed with what Jethro had said about Abby, "Well yeah, Duck. Why do you think I'm so worried," Gibbs gruffly stated before he continued now that he had Ducky's undivided attention, "Anyway she said that DiNozzo told her that they were talking and this Petty Officer Collins mentioned that he graduated from Ohio State a few years after Tony did. Abby didn't take any chances, she ran a back round check on this Petty Officer. She found that there was no one who graduated from there with his name. The only one to graduate with that name was in 1984 which would make the person in his late forties. And this man according to Abby is maybe a few years younger than Tony is." Gibbs said with agitation.

"Well yes Jethro, I can see why this has you so concerned," Ducky answered his friend, "I know how Abigail is at sussing someone out. But suppose the lad changed his name for some odd reason? I once knew a lad who did that just to get away from his family. Of course he couldn't run too far, you see they found him…."

"Duck!" Gibbs harshly called to stop his friend from going on with his story.

"I am terribly sorry Jethro. I was merely stating that there is a possibility that he changed his name for some reason in order to get into University or perhaps even the Navy. I'm only pointing out the possibilities." Ducky sighed as he looked at his friend, "Jethro, I am sure that you will find the answer to your question. Remember my boy you are an investigator and if your famous gut is troubling you and Abby believes this is hinky, well than, you should look into this. Only then can you see if this Petty Officer is who he says he is." The M.E. slid the desk draw opened and put his bottle away while he waited for Jethro to comment.

"Or he joined the Navy and is using a false name." Gibbs snapped back in thought, "He is probably working for Captain Reynolds." Gibbs stopped pacing at the realization that he was probably right, "I think he's pretending to be an orderly as a way to get to kill Tony and get the flash drive. Abby could be in the way and he'll kill them both!" Gibbs straightened up and gave an alarmed look at Ducky.

"Now Jethro" Ducky replied calmly "Don't you think you're overreacting just a bit?"

"No, I'm not" Gibbs growled "I'm gonna go to Vance again so he can call the FBI director and then to MTAC to get a hold of Jensen. I want him to look into this guy right away" Jethro turned to Ducky and said with conviction, "I'm right Ducky, I know I am and this Jensen better get this guy. He better now screw the pooch on this one, not with Tony and Abby's lives at stake!"

"Jethro" Ducky pleaded "Calm down or you will have an embolism!"

"Duck, I can't calm down and you know it!" Gibbs yelled as he started to leave.

"Jethro" Ducky asked in exasperation, "Do be careful with that temper of yours."

"I am going to grab a quick cup of coffee to calm me down a bit. But first I'm calling Fornell to make sure this Agent Jensen is at the top of his game." Gibbs announced as he walked out the door and to the elevator. He quickly pulled out his cell and hit the button for the number that he new very well. The doors opened to the elevator and he got in as he greeted the person on the other end of the phone.

Ducky watched as the doors to autopsy closed behind him. He sat there quietly for a few moments.

"Oh my, this has become quite a mess!" he thought "I do hope that Agent Jensen can handle the task at hand. But there is nothing I can do at this point."

Ducky shook his head "I hope they'll be alright. Well, I better get this work done first whilst I wait and then I'll go see what is happening.

He opened the previously discarded file and settled back down to work.


	19. Chapter 19

Gone

Chapter 19

NCIS

Authors Note: Sorry about the long delay with this chapter. It was never my intention to go three months without a new chapter. However life has been very difficult for me over the last few months. But anyways, here's a new chapter. I do need to say thank you as always to crokettsgirl for helping me with the chapter and co writing. And also thanks to Scousemuz1k for her help with the chapter. Thanks to you two and all my readers who have stuck with me through all off the delays. Sarah

Two days had passed since they had tried to reach Agent Jensen. Abby had finally gotten a hold of a member of his team. Agent Summers had told her he'd have Jensen call them back as quickly as possible, though it would be at least an hour or two. Tony and Abby sat on the bed trying to get engrossed in the James Bond movie that Abby had put in after she had finished with the call. They were both frustrated. The usually cheerful Tony whose favorite movies were James Bond with his favorite 007 actor Sean Connery was especially frustrated that they hadn't heard back from Jensen yet; especially since they had figured out that the evidence was hidden in the flash drive, which would convict Reynolds, when he was caught. Too anxious and discouraged to watch one of his favorite movies, after an hour Tony gave Abby a look and she turned it off. Instead they started to talk about what was on their minds.

"Tony" Abby said studying the watch on his wrist. "Don't worry! Agent Jensen will get back to us. The agent I spoke to said that he'd be back in about two hours and it's only been a little over an hour now."

"I know, Abbs" Tony said again in frustration "But Reynolds will have someone on the inside somewhere looking for the evidence. Don't you see? They'll be looking for me and the flash drive. Only now I've put you in danger as well and there's nothing that I can do about it." He sighed in annoyance at himself for getting Abby involved and that Jensen couldn't come right over.

"Don't worry, Silly," Abby answered as she snuggled closer and tried to lighten his mood, "I can take care of myself perfectly well. Besides, since you hurt yourself again after that little wrestling match with McGee I'm in better condition to protect you. And Gibbs will kill you if I let you get yourself hurt again. So please let me protect you Tony."

"Abby," Tony said quietly after looking at the door, "I'm a magnet for danger. Just the fact that someone knows I may have the flash drive puts _you_ in danger. Plus, if you _**are**_ right and it's someone here in the hospital, well, we're probably being watched right now." Tony shook his head at the thought.

"Tony," Abby answered, "I know you don't want to hear it but it could very well be your orderly friend that's been the one spying for Reynolds. Don't get mad at me, but yesterday I caught him snooping around your room. When I walked in he jumped and said he thought he left one of his CDs in your room. After he left the room I noticed that he'd been going through your bags. Not even you can dismiss that." She told him as she cocked her head and waited for his answer.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier, Abbs," Tony replied as he placed his arm around his friend's neck. "You know, when you left to call Agent Jensen, well, Scott came in asking a lot of questions. I played it down by saying that I didn't know anything and that I was tired. I just asked him to come back later. And now come to think about it, I did wonder the same things myself. But I just dismissed it as me being in pain, the stress and pressure of everything that happened. Also, the fact that I was really lonely, and was grateful to have a friend regardless of who it was." Tony said the last part quietly as he looked down in shame.

"I'm so sorry Tony," Abby said as she tried to console her friend. "I'm sure that I'd have trouble believing that someone as convincing as the Petty Officer could not be who he said he was. I'm so sorry that you felt so alone, but that's why I'm here now, so don't feel ashamed," she told him as she gave her friend a warm reassuring smile.

"Thanks Abbs," Tony said as he eyed the door again.

Tony was still focused on the door when one of the agents and a nurse poked their heads into the room.

"Ms. Scuito?" the nurse asked quickly "You have a call from an Agent Jensen. You can take the call out at the nurse's station."

Abby jumped up and grabbed her purse - and then realized that she'd have to leave Tony alone. She started to hesitate when Tony began to talk.

"Go and talk to Jensen" Tony pleaded "I'm ready for this to end. Just make sure that he gets everything sent to McGee right away. Besides I have agents at the door." He cocked his head and gave a smaller version of the DiNozzo smile to convince her.

"I will and I'll hurry back. Okay?" Abby said as she hurried out the door and down the hall to the nurse's station.

Abby still had that hinky feeling about leaving her friend alone, even though like he had said there were agents there to protect him. She ignored the feeling and concentrated on the fact that she needed to talk to Agent Jensen. She thanked the nurse and picked up the phone.

"Hi, Ms. Scuito" Jensen said "I'm sorry that it took me so long to get back to you. I got called away and it took a lot longer than I thought it would to chase those leads down; we came up with nothing," he told her in a discouraged tone. "Your message said that DiNozzo had something for me?" he asked hopefully.

"Tony has all the evidence that he'd collected against Reynolds, plus he down loaded what was on the captain's laptop. It's all on a flash drive he had but couldn't figure out where it was. Only we found it!" Abby answered excitedly and then brought her voice down again, "We just need you to come and get it before anyone else comes for it."

"This is fantastic news, Abby. Listen, I have to tie up a few loose ends here," Jensen answered, "I'll work quickly and be there as fast as I can. You said before that someone is after the flash drive? Then you must think that one of Reynolds' men is planted in the hospital. Ok, you two just sit tight and don't let anyone in except for the agents outside in the hallway, and only who is on the list that you know. I'll give Agent Fornell a call to let him know that you're sending all the evidence to him in an encrypted file and that I'll be sending the flash drive over to him too, after I get the evidence off of it." He explained.

"Yes I, no, _**we**_ think that there is a plant in the hospital. I'll talk to the agents about being extra careful. But I also need you to send that evidence to Agent McGee as soon as you can. We'll be here, I mean, waiting for you," Abby replied as she let out a sigh of relief. "Just please hurry!"

Abby started back to the room after she hung up the phone. She could have sworn as she did that someone was watching through a room door. The door was only opened a crack, but still, she noticed. The person had sandy brown hair like the orderly that she was convinced was one of Reynolds' men. She started to go toward the room where this person was. Abby's mind was only on who was watching her when one of the FBI agents came up and scared her. He pulled back when she jumped.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" the young agent apologized as he asked.

Abby just looked at him with a startled, "Oh yeah, I am, I just didn't see you. You see I thought I saw someone watching me. But I guess that I was wrong," she explained.

As the agent escorted her back to the room he was telling her something, but she didn't hear what he said. Her mind was back at Tony's room and him in there all alone. She also couldn't stop wondering if she had actually seen someone watching her

Abby swung her purse back on to her shoulder and hurried the agent along. She was concerned about how Tony was doing. Before she walked into the room she could feel the tension and fatigue radiating from him. At least Tony would feel a little bit safer now that she and the agent were back. She had said as little as she could and as quietly as she could so that Jensen would know that there was a plant in the hospital and about the flash drive. She couldn't tell him the name of the person they suspected. She didn't know if Petty Officer Collins was in listening range and it was bad enough what she did say if he was. She'd have to let Jensen know about Collins so he too could check him out. As for the person that she thought she saw spying from the door, if it was Collins and he did hear, then they were definitely in a lot of trouble.

"Tony," Abby spoke before he could completely lose it. "Agent Jensen is on his way and he's going to have the flash drive sent off to DC as soon as he can. Then you can tell him about Petty Officer Collins." Abby sat down and took her laptop out. She typed in a few things on it and looked over at Tony and then down at the watch, "I need the flash drive for a minute and then you can put it back on. Jensen wants me to encrypt this information and send it to Fornell."

Tony took the watch off, then detached the flash drive and gave it to her. She knew he was watching her and the door as she put it in, downloaded it and then did more magic before sending it off to Fornell, encrypted. She wished she could send it to McGee but didn't want to take a chance since Fornell knew it was coming and would be waiting for it, McGee didn't. She figured he'd get it from Fornell personally. Abby then gave back the flash drive to Tony, who put it back on the watch which he replaced on his wrist. While he did that Abby completely deleted any sign of the encrypted message and what was on the flash drive. No one could find it on her computer. She made sure everything was wiped out and untraceable, then closed up the laptop and put it away.

Tony started to sit up, wincing at the sharp pain from his ribs. He was so tired of everything bad that was happening to him and his friends. He trusted Agent Jensen with his life. Jensen had proved himself to Tony and had become a good friend to him throughout the entire operation. He just hoped that they were wrong about the Petty Officer, but his gut said that they weren't and were still in danger. He couldn't rest, the feeling was to strong. All he wanted was for them to be safe and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. They needed to get back to the states where he felt safe and knew that Abby too would be safe.

"Abbs?" he asked as he winced from the pain of his protesting ribs while he raised the bed into a sitting position, "I need for you to stay in this room with me. I mean it; don't go outside for any reason. I hope we're wrong but somehow I don't think so. I have a feeling Reynolds has someone trying to get the flash drive. Probably is Collins. Damn, how could I be so stupid? Well… at least it's hidden," he added, as he gave a heavy sigh at not noticing something like how friendly Collins had been. Damn it he was an agent and was suppose to notice these things, Abby did and she wasn't even an agent. The problem was that he had just been so lonely and had wanted to go home. He just needed a friend and that became the Petty Officer, and now, that mistake could get them both killed.

"I will, Tony" Abby said as she curled up next to him on the bed and laid her head on his chest. She knew he was feeling bad about not noticing things an agent should, like the Petty Officer snooping around. "Tony don't feel badly about not seeing certain things, you've been pretty much out of it. And remember that I _**can**_ take care of myself. Besides that, Gibbs said that Jensen put a couple of extra agents outside to guard us," she reminded the agent. Then she tried to lighten up the mood. "You know Tony, Sister Rosita gave me a new bottle of pepper spray and a new set of brass knuckles to use if we need it." She poked her head up with a smile and saw what she said had worked.

Tony couldn't help but laugh at what Abby had told him. The image of Abby using the pepper spray on an attacker was funny. He had his gun in his bedside table and had made sure Abby knew where it was so she could use it if necessary. But he had to admit to himself that the pepper spray was a lot more hilarious and it reminded him of the time Abby had duct taped Chip. This made him laugh even more as he shared the thought with Abby. Once they calmed down she turned the movie back on, and they lay back to enjoy it, both feeling better about the situation they were in.

NCIS

(**Inside** **one of the Iraq hospital rooms)**

Collins was excited at his good fortune at overhearing the news that DiNozzo had the flash drive. Now Reynolds would stop calling him and threatening his life. Soon he'd be going home a free and very rich man. Taking a long sigh of relief the young man quietly slipped out the door so he could get back to his duties without arousing any suspicion.

NCIS

**(A few minutes later in the States)**

Gibbs had been sitting at his favorite coffee shop for the last hour waiting for Agent Fornell to show up. He'd placed several urgent calls to his old friend and was now impatiently waiting for him to appear, but he was so deep in thought he didn't hear the other man pull up a chair to sit down next to him.

The voice he heard right next to him made him jump. This wasn't like Leroy Jethro Gibbs to not be on top of things, to be lost in thought and not be aware of his surroundings. He had always instilled in his team that they could do both, think and still know what was going on around them. A good investigator always had to, so this threw him and brought his mind back to the present where it needed to be.

"Jethro?" Fornell asked when he saw the far away look, and then his friend jumped. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he told his friend as he came closer.

"You didn't startle me, Tobias. I've just been waiting here for nearly a damn hour now." Gibbs grumbled.

"Sorry, I was picking up Emily when you called. Diane was furious, but Emily understood. That little girl is something else. Do you know Emily invited you to spend the night tonight and said that you could use her room again?" Fornell laughed and saw his friend chuckle at both the little girl's invitation and also their ex-wife being mad. Tobias knew how Jethro loved to see or hear when Diane was miserable. But then he saw Gibbs' face become serious and knew it was time to get down to the business at hand. He sat down with his coffee before he started to speak again, "So what was so urgent that I had to postpone my plans with my daughter?"

"I need to talk to you about Agent Jensen," Gibbs answered. "I need to know that I can trust him, Tobias."

"Absolutely Jethro," Fornell replied back. "But why are you asking me this?"

"Abby called me this morning, tonight their time. Seems she's concerned about some orderly befriending DiNozzo," Gibbs said, then continued on, "Abby ran a background check and found out that he may not be who he says he is. Agent Jensen knows that there is a plant in the hospital but Abby said she couldn't say too much to him about who it is. I need to know that he won't drop the ball, Tobias. I need to know that my people aren't in danger." Gibbs stared harder at the other agent.

"Jethro," Fornell answered calmly "Like I told you, I would trust Jensen with my life. Agent Carlson was slated to lead the team. He was good but I felt that over the last year something wasn't right with him. He'd been put on report a couple of times for losing evidence. And, he'd had some financial troubles too. He was suspected of stealing money from the evidence lockup, but it was never proven." Fornell stopped his explanation and looked into Jethro's waiting eyes. Fornell knew what he was waiting for, "Ok, what I'm saying is that Jensen saved my life, and if you think about it he did save DiNotzo's from Reynolds initially. You can trust him to keep on protecting DiNotzo and even Abby the same way," he assured his friend.

"I just need to make sure that he isn't going to screw the pooch here, **For-nell**." Gibbs replied as he took another drink of coffee. "I also hope that he checks out that orderly when Abby gives him the name, like he was supposed to when he put the protection in place," Gibbs groused.

"Damn it Jethro," Fornell replied, "He did and it was a thorough job. I even ran a second check myself because he wanted to be sure. The only thing was that he may not have attended Ohio State like he claimed to have. But Jensen didn't seem concerned about that. And before you get too upset there is no record of him ever coming in contact with Agent Carlson or Reynolds at any time in the last six months. I double checked those records myself. He and I both double checked every one that has anything to do with both DiNotzo and Scutio." Fornell again assured, "So if you want him to check this Petty Officer out again I'm sure he will."

Gibbs started to speak but stopped when the other agent's cell rang. Agent Fornell got up and walked away to answer the call.

"Jethro," he said as he came back and hung up the phone "That was Agent Jensen…."

"What did he want?" Gibbs interrupted.

"He said that he just talked to your forensics expert," Fornell answered. "DiNozzo has the evidence. Apparently he downloaded all the evidence against Reynolds onto a flash drive. He's had it with him all this time. The flash drive fitted into a watch that Abby had given him."

"Just make sure that he gets it sent to Agent McGee before it gets taken by Reynolds or one of his associates," Gibbs said urgently. "Then Agent Jensen can get it sent back through secure channels."

"Abby told Jensen she'd send everything on the flash drive in an encrypted e mail to me right away. I have to go back now and get it. Then I'll bring it on a new flash drive over to NCIS for McGee. Tell Director Vance what's going on. Jensen is having one of his team fly out with the flash drive as soon as he picks it up from Abby. Seems funny to think of the time difference, but it will be taken care of. Jethro, this is good news about Tony remembering where the evidence is and very clever of Ms. Sciuto on how it's hidden." Fornell sounded impressed. He knew that Abby was unusual but was brilliant all the same, and this was one of the many times she proved it.

"Make sure you bring it quickly straight to McGee," Gibbs demanded. "And when that agent gets there I need you to call me immediately. And Tobias, you'd better be sure about this."

"I am, Jethro," Fornell said as he started to walk away. "Now I need to get back to get that e-mail and take care of this. _And _now I'm also going to have to explain why I can't take Emily to our angry ex- wife. I'll be by as soon as I can with the information for McGee. You take care of alerting your Director," he added.

"Thanks Tobias," Gibbs said as he paid for his third cup of coffee. "And say hi to Emily for me. And be sure to let Diane know that this was my fault. Maybe she won't kill you then. Let Emily know that I'll try and come over when I have the time." Gibbs and Fornell exchanged a knowing glance.

"I will, Jethro," Fornell answered as he paid for his second cup of coffee and a chicken sandwich.

Gibbs sat there watching as the other agent left the shop. He had checked his watch and realized that he'd been gone longer than he had thought. He knew he had to get back and go right up to fill in Director Vance, and he was sure that the Director would be happy to hear the news about the evidence. He just hoped that Vance would understand his not trusting the background checks. He knew that Leon had been concerned when he heard about the orderly; but at that point neither of them knew that both Jensen and Fornell had done a background check on this man since he was part of the team caring for DiNozzo. He took his coffee, stood up and hurried back to the office, to speak urgently with Director Vance and to let McGee know what Fornell was bringing by shortly.

**(NCIS in Iraq)**

The doctor and the nurse had just come back in to check on Tony once again. He'd finally begun to relax, thanks to Abby staying with him. After he was checked out the nurse gave him more pain medicine and adjusted the sling on his injured arm. Then she proceeded to scold him for fighting and making his injuries worse. He half listened and gave the right head nods and answers; the whole while his eyes flicked over to the door where they had made Abby wait while they dealt with him. After they left she came in and sat back down by her friend.

"Did you want to finish the movie?" she asked, noticing again how tired he looked. "We have a while until Agent Jensen arrives. I sent the files to Fornell as you know and then got an email from McGee a few minutes ago that Fornell gave him the information. So now they can catch Reynolds and put him away." Abby said with hardness in her voice. She wanted this over not just for her and the teams, but also for Tony and the other people who were hurt by this marine.

"I'm really tired right now, Abbs," Tony answered wearily. "I'm really sore and I just want to take a nap. Why don't you go and get something to eat along with a Caf-Pow refill? Just be careful, and call me right away if you have any problems. Hopefully by the time you get back Agent Jensen should be here. I have the watch on so no one can come it and steal it without me knowing." Tony's head relaxed further into the pillow and he closed his eyes.

"But Tony!" Abby exclaimed as she scooted off the bed. "I thought that you said it wasn't safe for me to leave?"

"Well yeah, you're probably safer in here with the two guards right outside the door," Tony answered matter-of-factly, "But I know for a fact that it's been several hours since you've had a Caf-Pow. I know you found that place that has them, and you said the food was good there. Anyhow, you'll probably be safer outside since no one really knows you besides me and the two guards," Tony reassured her. He was tired and just wanted to sleep. She was probably safer away from him anyway, he figured. He knew she wouldn't give up without a fight, so he waited.

"I don't want to leave you Tony but I am starving," Abby answered seriously, thinking of taking Tony up on his offer to escape for a while, "And I think I need about a triple refill on the Caf-Pow right now. But I can honestly make do with the coffee from the machine here. Gibbs would be upset if I left you alone with the bad guys around."

"Abby," Tony laughed, as he took a deep breath so he could carefully readjust himself on the bed. Once the pain subsided a little bit he spoke again. "There's no way that you could go a whole day without a Caf-Pow. And the way your stomach keeps rumbling you're going to die from starvation. So you better go eat. You know Abby; I could always have a guard follow you if it would make you feel better."

"I think I can manage without a guard following me around," Abby conceded. "Okay Tony, you win - I'll go because I'm really, really hungry and I really do need a Caf-Pow refill. So I'll see you back in about an hour or so. And I will be careful, Tony. I promise you that I'll be okay and you better be to, mister." She smiled at him.

"I will too," Tony said with a yawn. "Now get going before I run you out," he teased her as he turned to get comfortable.

Abby walked to the door, took another look back and got a wink as she saw Tony's head hit the pillow again for the final time. She smiled as she walked out of the room and told the guards where she was going. She asked if they wanted anything before she left. She was barely out the door when sleep took him.

As Abby walked down the hall a little she saw out of the corner of her eye a door open and shut. She knew that this wasn't the doctors or nurses; this floor was rather quiet, Gibbs and Jensen had seen to that. She thought that she caught a glimpse of a man and was certain that it was the so called orderly that was listening to her.

Abby decided to track down his cell phone number and try and get a GPS fix on whoever he was calling; she was positive that it was Reynolds. She went into an empty room next to the one the man was in. She quickly set up her laptop and was able to set up a phone trace, which would prove that he was talking to Reynolds among other things. She had to keep her laptop going and not get caught, so she quickly put it away and then carried it to the deli. From there she could monitor things. She let out a little whoop in her head, proud of herself that she had the opportunity to set this up as she stepped outside to walk over to the deli.

Abby realized that she also needed to get the flash drive sent as soon as she was far enough away from the hospital. Thankfully she had sent all the information to all that needed it and she had nothing on her so that if anything happened the information wouldn't be found. Now all she needed to worry about was this trace and what she could find out.

(**At The Hospital: An Empty** **Closet** **Down** **The Hall)**

Down the hallway, in an empty closet, a terrified man placed the phone call that he'd been afraid to make. He decided to wait to make the phone call until he was sure that DiNozzo was alone. That damn forensics woman was too nosy for her own good. Twice he thought that she'd almost caught him, which made him more nervous and the last thing he wanted was to kill her too, but if he had to he would. He'd do anything at this point to get this job done and away from that man, Reynolds. That bastard was crazy! At least the FBI men weren't a worry to him. All they knew right now was that he was an orderly; hopefully it would stay that way.

He leaned against the closet wall and dialed the dreaded number to the call he didn't want to make. Only one ring and the other man's voice came through the cell loudly.

"You better have the damn flash drive, Collins," Reynolds hissed, "Or I 'm going do as I told you I would. That cold morgue wouldn't be hard to put you in. So you better tell me that you have it," he threatened.

"I don't have it," Collins choked out in fear of his boss, "I can't get into DiNozzo's room long enough to search it thoroughly. And now that forensics lady is so suspicious of me that they've posted two guards at the door. I'm sorry…."

"Shut the hell up with your lame excuses!" Reynolds yelled. "I'm stuck here in hiding. I need that flash drive so I can leave Iraq. I can't risk those damn' agents figuring out where I am."

Collins had to hold the cell away from his ear due to his boss yelling so loudly, "I'll try….." he stammered again.

"You'll do it now!" Reynolds ordered in a gruff, powerful tone, "Or I will personally come and do as I said I would to you. I swear in order to get anything done right you have to do it yourself. Do it now or I'll not only come there and _do_ it myself, but we will visit the morgue together. You like morgues?" It wasn't quite a question it was more a reiteration on how serious he was with his threat.

"I…NO, I don't like morgues. Please listen to me," Collins squeaked out as he begged, terrified of the man, "I overheard that Abby woman talking to that FBI guy Jensen, and DiNozzo has the flash drive somewhere in the room. But I don't know where yet." He hoped that would temporarily satisfy this man.

"I don't care! Just go in there and do it tonight!" Reynolds yelled into the phone "Go in there and shoot the two of them, and if you have to, the agents too. Just get it! And if you don't want to shoot the agents then use the poison I left you to put them out or kill them too. It should make them pass out and die if they aren't found in time. But, it will give you enough time to be able to get in there. Then you can take that nice silencer I gave you also and you **Kill** **DiNozzo** and that **girl**! No one will hear that and you get the flash drive and then leave. When that is done you call me. **Tonight**! Do you understand, because if I don't hear from you tonight you **will** hear from me in the morning and my face will be the last face that you ever see. Do I make myself clear?"

The young man was terrified. He wanted to run and give the money back for this job, but knew that once he had taken it the contract was complete. He couldn't run and he didn't want to die. He knew what he had to do, kill DiNozzo and Abby, get those agents really sick He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before he continued with the call.

"I'll do it. I swear I'll do it. I just need some time, please. I promise the contract will be fulfilled and I'll have the flash drive along with two dead bodies, DiNozzo and the girl." Collins begged and then finished off by trying to sound convincing.

"You have two hours" Reynolds informed him as he tried to keep his voice calm, "If you don't have the damn flash drive by then you better pray to whatever God you believe in because you'll be seeing him tonight and that's a promise." He said with satisfaction in his voice.

"I'll try…" Collins stammered.

"No, **you'll do! I will not repeat myself again!**" Reynolds interrupted, screaming into the phone.

"Okay! I will," Collins said, even more terrified than before.

With that Reynolds snapped the phone shut ending the call.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

A/n All right. Got this chapter up quicker than I thought I would. Sorry for the delay. Going to try and keep the delays shorter so I can put this story to rest.

Thanks for sticking with me. And as always, thanks to crokettsgirl for all her help with the chapter. Hugs to you all. Well here is the next chapter!

GONE CHAPTER 20

**Locker Room**

Collins stood in front of his locker and grabbed the vial of poison along with the silencer for his gun. He slid both into his pocket where the gun already lay. Ready, he slipped out and went to the coffee machine to get two cups of coffee, he knew the agents drank it, he'd seen them. That's how he had made the plan with the poison. He'd simply pour it in two cups and give it to the men. Whether they died or lived wasn't a care to him right now, he only cared that he lived to see the next day. He was just about to put the poison into the two cups of coffee when a nurse approached him. She needed him to help with a difficult patient in another room.

"Damn it!" He said to himself as he tossed the now luke warm coffee into the nearest garbage. Now he'd have to take care of the patient instead of following the plan. Reynolds would be calling him again soon. He'd just say the truth that he had gotten busy with his duties. His job as an orderly was his cover and he couldn't risk his cover blown. When it slowed down he'd slip away without anyone noticing and take care of the contract.

Thankfully the situation was under control by the time he got there. He excused himself by claiming he had some things he had to finish up. He saw a nod and left. He grabbed a cart so no one would ask any questions and see he was busy. He looked around to make sure no one saw him and then slipped back to the coffee pot. A new pot had been made which he was glad for. Now with the two hot coffee cups and half a vial of the poison in each, he made his way over to the two agents.

**The front of** **Tony's** **room**

Now that it was later the halls were quiet. Doctor's rounds were done and nurses were busy charting. Collins saw the agents just sitting there talking. He poured an extra cup for himself and then found himself in front of the nurse's desk. He didn't want to be the one that had given the poisoned coffee to the men. Slowly, he came up with his head leaning down so the nurse couldn't make out his face. He put the hot cups on the counter and as briefly as he could he asked if the nurse would give the coffee to the agents and then left. He then mumbled that he had things he had to do.

"Hello Agent's Simon and Cross." The nurse said cheerfully. "One of the orderlies asked me to bring you some fresh and hot coffees." She told them as they took the steaming cups.

"Okay, thank you Nurse Ford," the younger agent said a little surprised. He looked at agent Simon who nodded his head and then started to sip the steaming cup. Agent Cross thought it was nice that someone had thought of them. He needed this caffeinated beverage to help keep him stay awake. Neither of them thought it strange nor did they think this late at night to follow protocol. They shouldn't have accepted the drink from an orderly who handed it off to a nurse that they knew, that was protocol. If they weren't so tired they might have thought about it and one would have gotten them fresh cups, but they didn't.

**The Deli**

Abby had just finished her sandwich, salad and swallowed the last of her third caf-pow. It was a nice break eating here and not the hospital cafeteria with there hard chairs that were also in Tony's room. She had intended to take the whole hour Tony had given her, but she decided to hurry back. Abby felt like spider man with her spider senses tingling, she giggled to herself over the thought. Still it was serious. Something hinky was going on and she couldn't shake it. She needed to get back to Tony. She needed to see that he was alright.

She paid and then waited for Tony's order to be ready to give him a break from the hospital food. The order was ready quickly. She gathered her refilled caf-pow jug, grabbed the bag with Tony's sandwich with the three extra pickles she knew he liked. Then Abby juggled them around along with her purse to fit the dessert bag in her hands that had two pints of chocolate marshmallow ice cream in it. With everything situated she then hailed a cab to quickly make her way back to the hospital.

**Five minutes later in the hallway at the hospital**

Collins was grateful that the nurse took the coffee over to the two agents and then left to do her rounds. The hallway was clear with the smaller night staff all busy. He watched as the poison took affect. First it knocked out agent Simons. Then as Agent Cross tried to figure out what was going on he passed out and slid to the floor along side of his partner. Collins looked down the hall to make sure that there was no one around. He then proceeded to move the two men into an empty room that was close by. He chuckled nervously to himself as he lugged the first agent down into the empty room. He started panicking when he thought that he heard one of the doors open. So he quickly dumped the agent into one of the corners of the room.

Collins laughed to himself as he thought about how heavy the second agent was. He amused himself with the thought that he could have put the poison in a dozen jelly donuts. The other agent still lay in the room unconscious. He quickly pulled the second agent across the room and dropped him next to the first agent. That done he started back toward Tony's room.

**In a Car driving towards the Hospital**

Agent Jensen was finally on his way to the hospital to get the flash drive. He'd just finished speaking with Agent McGee. McGee verified that Collins was indeed not only an orderly but, he was also a Petty Officer. The problem was that he didn't exist under that name until two years ago. He couldn't find out who this Petty Officer really was. McGee had even checked out his social security number which also didn't exist until two years ago.

Agent Jensen then found out that Gibbs had already had the young agent run the name and prints Abby Scuito had e mailed through AFIS and other data bases, but there were no matching results.

After Jensen got off the phone with Gibbs and McGee he then quickly phoned Abby. He informed her of everything that he'd learned and advised her not to leave the hospital. Abby then panicked and spoke quickly to explain that Tony had talked her into leaving the hospital. That Tony and her knew there were two agents guarding him. She informed Agent Jensen that she was in a cab and just about at the hospital. Jensen shook his head to get rid of the run on quickly spoken words that buzzed in his head from Abby. She was nervous and freaking out. He hoped he had calmed her down a bit. Now he only had one thing on his mind and that was to get to the hospital. Jensen pressed his foot hard on the accelerator. The car jumped to the higher speed and raced forward towards his destination.

**Inside Tony's room**

Tony lay in bed mesmerized by the James Bond movie he was watching. He spoke the words in some of the scenes that he knew so well in his best Sean Connery voice. This helped to keep his mind occupied until Agent Jensen and Abby came back. Boy he was hungry and could just about taste that Steak sandwich and ice cream Abby was bringing back. The food he'd eaten in the hospital was like all hospital food, it tasted like crap. He smiled at the thought of real food and then at the thought of finally turning over the flash drive that he worked so hard to obtain.

Outside Tony's room Collins looked around to make sure no one was around or had seen anything. When he was sure no one was around he knocked softly on the door of Tony's room.

Tony was so engrossed in the film that he was startled by the knock on his door. Abby had been gone almost and hour and Agent Jensen was also due any minute so when he heard the knock on the door he figured it was Agent Jensen since Abby would just walk in. He called for the person to come in and was surprised when the door opened to allow Petty Officer Collins to enter the room.

"Where are the two guards?" Tony asked suspiciously. He knew what this man was after and suddenly felt that there were no longer any guards to call out to if something should happen.

"They got sick so I offered to stay with you till they could come back." The other man answered calmly.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked, suspecting that the man standing in front of him had something to do with it. "Because there are two other agents that are suppose to cover for them if need be. I think that _**you **_really need to **leave** and **now**!" Tony's voice lowered dangerously as he emphasized the three words and hoped he had made his point. He knew he wasn't up to a physical confrontation but he wouldn't just lay there and die if this guy was really after the flash drive.

"So did you ever find the flash drive?" The orderly asked as he started looking around the room hoping to find it without any trouble.

"What flash drive?" Tony lied. He realized that this man was really after it and appeared to become a little nervous. Tony had a feeling about what might happen. He had to stall for time and that was one thing he was very good at.

"Look, I know you have it and I need you to give it to me now." The orderly demanded as he started to slightly shake. "I heard you and your forensics friend of yours talking about it."

"I think you misunderstood something. Because I don't know anything about a flash drive." Tony answered as he observed the orderly slowly coming apart. He knew after so many years of being an agent and a cop that the ones that came undone were more unpredictable. This could make things go either way, he might be able to use it to his advantage or this guy could go the opposite way and just take him out. He wished his weapons were around but he wasn't allowed to have them in the hospital and the gun he did have had been confiscated along with the knife on his belt. Damn, he thought as his mind raced to think of what to do. He knew a physical fight would be hard for him with his arm and ribs still a hindrance with pain and not able to use the left arm much. But if he had to fight he would try his best, after all he had always been a scrappy street fighter. Gibbs training only added to that.

"No I didn't misunderstand anything. You have the flash drive that is full of evidence against Captain Reynolds. Now I need you to hand it over right now." The orderly demanded again. He pulled his knife out and started over to Tony. He could feel himself shaking and for the first time with a contract, he wasn't sure if he could go through with it.

"Look Scott." Tony said using the man's first name to get a closeness, cop 101 in negotiations he thought. He also did this to try and buy some time while he attempted to text Abby under the blanket so Collins couldn't see, "There is no flash drive. I really don't know how to get through that thick skull of yours that there is No - flash drive. Reynolds is just afraid of getting caught so his paranoia has him thinking that there is a flash drive, which by the way is ridiculous. I would think he'd be able to come up with something…oh say a little better?" Tony told him in a cocky manner as he tilted his head with his brow raised at the Petty Officer.

Collins stared at Tony for a minute. He had to get a hold of the situation - take control. "I want to see your hands above the blanket." He told Tony. When the agent's hands came above the blanket the man looked at the lump under it, "What do we have under the blanket? Get it out, come on!" Collins pulled out the gun with the silencer on it and pointed it to the blanket and then at Tony's head.

"Ok, ok you don't have to be so pushy." Tony pulled the blanket down and Collins grabbed the phone before stepping back.

"I see you texted someone. Who?" He demanded.

"I didn't get a full message out to Abby to get me a pepperoni and sausage pizza, I think I'll be even hungrier in a little while." Tony sarcastically told him.

"I don't think you'll feel hunger once I'm done here. Now where is that flash drive DiNozzo?" Collins suddenly straightened his stance still pointing the gun at the agent.

"Again I'll say it so that maybe you'll understand this time. I. Don't. Know. About. A. Flash. Drive." Tony said pointedly and slowly like he was talking to a child.

The orderly put his gun away and then came around the right side of the bed with the knife in his hand. Tony saw the glint shine off the blade as the light hit it. He was grateful that he had at least one good arm and that Gibbs had always taught them to anticipate what could happen. He had done that while he had stalled the Petty Officer.

The orderly came around and held the blade against Tony's neck pressing hard enough for a tiny bit of blood to form and let the agent know he was serious about his intention.

Tony gathered up his strength and elbowed Collins, hard with his right arm. The blow was driven hard underneath and then up to push the arm away and the force of the blow knocked the man down. His hand banged against the table allowing the knife to slide across the room along with the gun that fell out of his pocket. Collins was mad that he hadn't expected DiNozzo to fight back. How could he have under estimated this agent? Now his knife was under the bed, his gun across the room. He'd have to fight the bastard and either win that way or fight just enough to get to the gun.

"Damn you DiNozzo!" The orderly shouted in pain "I know you have it so just hand the damn drive over now."

"I told you I don't have flash drive." Tony answered calmly as sat up on the bed and attempted to get in a better position to fight. Collins was blocking him so he couldn't stand up. He was very thankful for the pain meds they helped dull the pain that burned his whole left side. He knew he had to push that down and defend himself the best way he could. One of the bad things about pain meds was it made Tony's mind wonder and he really couldn't afford that now, but it slipped anyway for a moment anyway.

Collins pulled himself off of the hard floor in front of the bed. Clearly he had underestimated the strength of the injured man. Though from hearing the grunts of pain, knew he could get the upper hand and finish Tony off like Reynolds wanted. First he had to get that flash drive from him.

Tony watched the man he had previously called friend get up and ready to continue the fight. Plans ran around in Tony's head but he didn't have much time or options. Quickly he pulled the tray to his right side hoping he could get Collins on his right and hit him hard. He hoped that would knock the man out. He needed to get help and fast as he kept his eye on his opponent.

Collins had other plans deciding to use the weakness and wound on Tony's left side to bring the fight back in his favor. He quickly went to Tony who tried to turn to his right but wasn't fast enough. Collins shot out his arm and grabbed hold of the injured left shoulder, squeezing it until Tony howled in pain. A smile crossed Collins face as he held Tony tightly in the position. He watched Tony grit his teeth in pain and listened to his breath as the man panted He knew the agent was trying to think of how to escape.

Collins squeezed harder and harder on the incision using the pain and weakness to get the answer he needed. He had to have that flash drive and kill the man he was causing so much pain to. His life was worth more than going to jail or getting killed by Reynolds. He wanted this over with so he could finish this mission and then live his life doing something else.

"I need you to tell me where the flash drive is. I'm not going to ask you again. The next time I'll slit your throat but not until you give me what I want." Collins asked trying to hide his panic as he squeezed down even harder. Again he thought of Reynolds coming to kill him and his body left in the morgue. He'd heard stories about the cold Captain and how he had not only killed the enemy but once he went into busy, anyone that crossed him was fair game.

"Actually Collins, now that I think about it I did have a flash drive." Tony goaded, knowing that Collins wouldn't kill him right away until he got the flash drive. He needed to buy more time until Jensen or Abby, anyone for that matter could help him.

Collins stood by the agent's side letting up just a bit on his shoulder but not enough so that DiNozzo could again get the upper hand. He felt a rush go through him when he thought that the flash drive would be handed over so easily, or that's what his mind had hoped on, anyway.

"Well, where is it?" He asked with impatience only a man running for his life would sound like.

"Oh, it's in my desk at NCIS. You must have heard me wrong. It's evidence in another case. So sorry." Tony answered; knowing that to get the other man angry would through him off his game. Tony needed him off his game if he was going to get out of this.

"You're lying, DiNozzo!" Collins yelled, his hands quickly came up and wrapped around Tony's throat as he squeeze hard, cutting off any oxygen that would allow the agent to live.

Tony had to think of a way out of this. He found it hard to defend himself between his shoulder, ribs and now his lung that wasn't healed all the way yet, not to forget that he was being strangled. He saw the discarded tray from the corner of his eye; it had fallen next to him, on the bed with in his reach. He grabbed it with his right hand and hit Collins as hard as he could on the side of the head. He was surprised when it did nothing but make the hands squeeze tighter and finally no air going was going into his lungs.

Tony was suffocating, his bad lung making matters worse. His plan was not to take his watch off so he had baited the guy. He couldn't allow Reynolds to have the watch and find the flash drive that would put the captain away for a long time. Tony wanted to see this done and for him to pay for killing Agent Carlson. So first he'd have to get out of this. His lungs were starved for air. He needed to breath and fast. After he got out he would take it from there.

DiNozzo's vision was starting to get fuzzy and narrowing. He knew he didn't have long before he passed out and damn it, a DiNozzo shouldn't pass out. He had when he was hurt but he would not let it happen again. Quickly he thought about how he couldn't free himself in all the ways he knew how. He couldn't so; he'd have to do it the scrappy street fighting way. Tony fed on all the reserve strength he had and then as powerfully as he could, drew his knee up and then out, hard, so that it hit Collins in the groin. Collins instantly let go and rolled off the bed dropping to the floor. He drew into a ball as Tony rolled away and gasped for the oxygen his deprived lungs need so badly.

Tony struggled to get up. He was still gasping for the air his burning lungs needed, his side throbbed and his shoulder was useless now, the pain was too great to describe. He was high on adrenaline and knew when he came down he'd be in a world of pain. First he had to get out of there. He got himself into a sitting position but then had to rest for a minute. He saw Collins was still on the ground and the pain seemed to be lessening for the Petty Officer. Tony knew he was running out of time. He used all his strength and relied on his adrenaline as he pulled himself up from the bed and stood. His legs wobbled, he slid his left arm into his pajama top to hold it still and to lessen the pain a little. His ribs protested along with his body. He felt himself get steadier. He needed to get out of this room and now.

He finally started to take a few steps towards the door when suddenly he was knocked to the ground with a painful thud. He looked up to see Collins standing over him with the gun. Evidentially, while on the floor, Collins must have retrieved it from by the bed.

"Tell me where the flash drive is!" Collins yelled "I know you have it. That Abby said you have it somewhere. I'm going to find it even if it means eliminating you in the process. If you want to live you'll tell me where it is." He threatened.

"I'm certainly not going to tell you were it is." Tony goaded again"But you're more than welcome to search the room. I certainly won't stop you even though you're wasting your time. Agent Jensen and the FBI are going to be here before you have a chance to tear apart the room." Tony told him with narrowed eyes and a scowl on his face.

Tony was rewarded for his sarcastic remarks with a hard whack to the head. The hit was hard enough to get a hiss out of the agent. His vision swam along with his thoughts for a moment before they came back. He felt his head pulled backwards by his hair only to see the gun pointed at his temple. Tony kicked out so that he caught the back of the man's leg. The leg buckled just like Tony had wanted and he watched Collins lose his balance and fall. He crawled out of the way of the gun that was held outward and swinging toward him.

Collins slowly got up still holding the gun at Tony, "I should kill you now for that little trick. But I need that flash drive!" He then started tearing apart the room in search of the flash drive. He dumped out a draw and then two bags and rummaged through what fell out and the bags themselves. He found nothing and cursed before he went over to the closet. He threw open the closet only to find it empty. Now his mind was racing worse as the death threat of Reynolds haunted him.

Collins started to search the room for the Goth's bags while he muttered over and over again the words Reynolds had threatened him with. He was so intent on finding the flash drive and the threat that he had lost track of DiNozzo.

Tony listened to the mumbled words as he slowly work his way up and over to the bed. He knew that Collins was spinning out of control which he hoped would work in his favor. He took advantage of this and grabbed the man's left arm. He slammed it against the side of the bed on the metal frame. Thankfully the plan worked as Tony watched the gun drop. Before Collins

could do anything Tony had gotten to the gun. The pain of moving so hard and so fast washed over him as he panted but held strong in order to save his life and keep the flash drive safe. He could give into the pain later even though it made him slower. Tony had his fingers holding the gun and was trying to bring it into position with only the use of his one hand when Collins dove at him. Collins and DiNozzo wrestle each tried to get the gun as it volleyed between them. They were on the floor several minutes later when the door opened.

**ABBY**

Abby stepped out of the cab anxious to see if Agent Jensen had arrived. She was worried for Tony's safety and was anxious to get back to her friend. He'd reluctantly agreed to watch her movies all tonight and the sandwich was her thanks for his willingness. She managed to get everything into her grasp, she felt like she was juggling it all and hoped it wouldn't fall as she carried it all inside.

Abby walked down the hall but didn't see the two agent's Simon and Cross. She wondered why both were away from their posts. She should have listened to her instincts but instead was anxious to get to Tony and would ask him about where they were when she got into the room. She placed the bags down by the door except for the sandwich and innocently walked inside.

"Hey Tony where are the guards?" Abby asked as he walked into the room.

When Collins heard the noise of Abby calling to Tony he pushed the agent away and quickly got up. He waited for Abby to step into the room before he placed the barrel of the silencer to her head. He saw her freeze when he did this and gave a vengeful smile. She would get him the flash drive, he thought.

Tony felt the shove that Collins gave him and heard Abby come through the door. He had to act as fast as he could to save her. He saw Collin's feral grin as he started to push the silencer against Abby's head. Tony had one choice. That damn tray again there was nothing else close enough for him to grab and use to get the man away from Abby. Still laying on the floor gave him some benefits. He took the edge of the tray and swung it into the crease of the back of the man's knees. Tony didn't realize the strength he had pulled out to do this. The hit was so hard the man fell to the floor once again in a heap. Tony quickly motioned for Abby to slide under the bed as he motioned to her. Abby understood and slid quickly under the bed as she watched and bit her lower lip in fear for her friend.

Tony crawled over using his legs and one arm to take the gun away before Collins could try and use it after he got himself up. However, Collins got to him first. Again the man used Tony's injury against him and pinned him down to the ground as he reached for the gun.

Tony yelled, he couldn't help it this time as the man put his full weight on the injured shoulder. He took several deep breaths to try and push down the pain. The orderly grabbed him by the back of his hair again and spit in his face.

"How does that feel?" Collins hissed as he pulled Tony up into a standing position. "I think now is the right time to tell me where the flash drive is before I kill your friend. Now I know she's under the bed or hiding in the closet. So if you want her to live you'll hand it right over." He growled as he used Abby as his leverage.

Tony hissed again at the pain in his left shoulder and panted from it. He was also having trouble breathing from his sore ribs as well his one lung not being fully healed. He had to get that damn gun and get Abby out of the room no matter what it did to him now. He knew as he had the whole time that it was all about getting the gun away and into his hands. He saw Abby under that bed like Collins did. Thankfully, Collins couldn't see Tony mouth to Abby, who he knew read lips, to get out from under the bed and run to get help as soon as he made a diversion. She nodded to him that she understood.

The other man held on to Tony trying to figure out how to handle this situation. He could feel himself coming unglued which had never happened to him before. "This is your fault!' he yelled passed Tony's ear as he still held him. The man scowled at Abby and then hissed at her too, "And your fault. You know where the drive is. GIVE IT TO ME!" He yelled as if his life depended on it, as if his sanity depended on it and it did as far as Reynolds was concerned.

Coming so unglued he unknowingly let go of his hostage and banged his one hand against the closet. Tony used the distraction to make a grab at the gun hanging loosely in his other hand. However, just as he made the reach for the gun the other man came to his senses and kicked him to the ground. Collins again had Tony back down on the ground with him and once again was using the injured shoulder to keep the man in place.

Tony let out another yell of pain, not just from the feel of it but to give Abby a window to escape the room. This worked as Collins looked down with another feral grin. Tony used his good arm and with his finger, out of sight of the man, motioned for Abby to escape. He watched as she silently crawled out from the other side. While she did that Tony moved his body so he could kick the other man's knee as hard as he could. He noticed there was a clear path to the door for Abby to get out. This was a relief that helped him in his fight.

However, he hadn't seen her go through the door as he kept looking back and forth while he struggled. Then he saw her as she hide behind a chair with the small empty drawer she could use to help him. This was a bad idea, Tony's mind screamed.

"Get out of here" Tony mouthed to her as he waited for her to leave and run to safety.

"No Tony I can't" Abby mouthed back with a stern look in her eyes.

Tony needed Abby to get out safely, he felt responsible for her even though for a moment he remembered Chip and her old stalking boyfriend, what a number she did on both. He remembered how proud he was, but he was brought back quickly to the present and the situation at hand. He saw the hard drawer from the night stand in her hand and maybe that would work if she hit Collins. Doing that he could get the gun and subdue the man, finally. He was so tired and he was having trouble breathing but again had to push it down to live and keep them both safe.

Tony then made reach for the gun trying to get it back again only to get pistol whipped in the head. He fell backwards in a daze and his vision swam for a moment, that moment was all Collins needed to focus the gun right at his forehead, a kill shot if the trigger was pulled.

Abby wanted to help Tony, she feared for his life. Any minute this crazy man could pull the trigger and kill her friend. She whimpered at the thought and quickly covered her mouth. She knew that Tony heard her but didn't make any movement that he had. She knew he wouldn't, he'd keep the focus on him to save her. Thankfully, Collins was to intent on Tony to even bother to hear her. She had to think of something, her mind raced like her computers in the lab.

Tony eyed the situation, he wasn't about to go out this way, the pain he felt was gone once again by the force of even more adrenaline. He shot his good arm up and grabbed Collins gun arm pulling the gun away from his head. He almost got it into his hand by the act of surprise when the orderly used the upper hand of his health against Tony and started to pull the gun back. Tony knew it was now or never and pushed himself at Collins to regain the grip on the gun. They wrestled for the weapon and it fired twice. Abby yelled but didn't get an answer. She didn't expect to since Tony was using everything he had in him to save his life and also hers.

Collins yelled out in frustration and then rose up enough to ram his knee into Tony's shoulder forcing the gun out of the agent's hand. Tony yelled out in pain but then quickly dismissed it the best he could, he had to get this gun. God he wished this was over, he was just so tired and hurt so much, but he wanted to live and had to keep Abby safe.

Collins yelled out again not caring anymore who heard him he was beyond the point of thinking straight. He held the gun firmly and pointed it at DiNozzo's head, ready to fire. Finally he'd get rid of the trouble this man had causes him. Suddenly, something hard hit the Petty Officer's head twice. He dropped on top of DiNozzo. The injured agent let out a humph, as the gun skidded away. Abby had knocked Collins out. She pushed at him to make sure he was unconscious. Tony was so exhausted and so grateful for whatever happened to knock this guy out that he just laid there for a moment trying to figure out what happened. Abby saw this and slowly started to roll the man off of her friend. When Tony saw Abby he realized what happened, what she did to help save them both. And he gave her a tired wiry smile.

"Remind me not to piss you off, but I'm sure glad you're on my side." He told her in a whispered pant and just laid there.

Abby smiled at him, "I told you I could take care of myself." She winked, "Now rest until help gets here." She stroked his hair off of his forehead.

"Yeah," he sighed, "I remember Chipper." Tony's eyes closed to listen to what she had told him to do. His eyes blinked open wide. He knew what he heard was real. He wasn't imagining any thing.

They both heard the shouting coming down the hall yelling their names. They were safe and Tony could now relax as the adrenaline wore off and he felt not only the exhaustion but the pain that went with the long fight. He closed his eyes and waited for help, he couldn't move anymore. Abby just sat next to him still stroking his hair and waited for the help.

A few minutes earlier

Agent Jensen was driving down the road to the hospital. It had taken him longer than he had thought to get away. An hour later he managed to grab his things and disappear out the door and into the waiting jeep. Thirty minutes later he arrived at the base. He had an agent waiting outside the hospital doors for the flash drive so it could be hand delivered to DC. He had a terrible feeling though that something had gone wrong.

He'd just gotten back the third back round check on Petty Officer Collins and found that the man they thought to be him was indeed not Petty Officer Scott Collins. Intelligence had been slow on this one and he knew he'd hear it from Gibbs. But Gibbs couldn't make him feel worse than he did himself. This Petty Officer was actually Petty Officer Scott Farrell and was supposed to have died in action a year ago. They now had the pictures and the finger print scans to prove that Farrell faked his death and was now claiming Collins identity. , What made it worse was that there was a connection between him and Captain Reynolds; they served together a year earlier. For some reason and Jensen didn't know why yet, he'd taken on the identity of a now known dead marine by using his social security number. So Jensen and his people surmised that Petty Officer Collins burned up body with only dog tags on it was used to stage the switch. This was very dangerous and again Jensen kicked himself for not finding this out sooner. He had left messages for Agent Fornell to call him back immediately about a situation when he got the voice mail. He didn't go into it in the voice mail he'd talk to him when he called back.

He jumped out of the jeep while securing his weapon and extra ammo. He then ran through the doors and down several hallways until he got to Agent DiNozzo's wing. Right away he noticed that the guards were missing. Something was up and it sure wasn't good. He quickly called over to the nurse to make sure, but if one left the other agent always by protocol had to stay. Jensen knew both Agent's Simons and Cross. These were good men and would never do something like both leave their assigned post.

"Where are the two agents that are supposed to be outside Agent DiNozzo's doorway?" Jensen demanded as he shifted his gun and took out his cell phone.

"I don't know sir." The nurse answered "They were gone when I got here. I thought maybe they were inside. But then again I just got done with rounds so I was away for a while. Matter of fact I just sat down and no one has been around here but the orderly, maybe he would know."

Jensen thanked the nurse and proceeded to call the agents to find out where they were. When he didn't get an answer he started running toward the door to DiNozzo's room. Half way down the hallway he heard two shots go off. He immediately turned back to the desk.

"Call for security to Agent DiNozzo's room. **Now!**" Jensen yelled as he continued to run towards the room and hit a number on his cell. He called for extra back up to help secure the scene, a scene that he feared not knowing what he'd find. Jensen called out to Agent DiNozzo and Miss. Scuito's hoping they would answer him. He only did that once. When there was no answer he stopped and readied himself for what he would find once he pushed open the half opened door.

A/n Yeah, I know, another cliffhanger. Just a few chapters left until the ending. Then I can focus on the new story I've been sitting on forever. TBC!

Another thing. I need a good name for a bad guy for Tony to get close to. A mob family and the son being close to Tony's age. Any suggestions would be so helpful!


	21. Chapter 21

Gone

Chapter 21

A/n First of all a big apology for the year delay between chapters. Life has been very busy but I have been working on story this whole time. This will never happen again as the next chapter will be posted in a much more timely matter. So I pray that I still have at least a few readers left

So thanks as always to Crokettsgirl for her co writing and all her support over the last year. And to Scouse for letting me vent and express frustration over the long chapters and frustrating scenes. And lastly to Bunny for betaing the chapter. So here it is

Agent Jensen stormed his way into the room without waiting for backup. He'd screwed up by not dropping what he'd been doing to get to the hospital sooner. When he got inside, he saw Abby standing next to the bed with a steel tray in her hands. He looked at the floor and saw the orderly, Collins, lying unconscious below the injured agent.

Jensen immediately yelled out to security to come in and secure the room. He ordered that someone find hospital employees to take care of Collins—who would now be in custody—and tend to Tony and Abby.

Jensen and an orderly carefully pulled Collins out from under DiNozzo. Jensen then nodded to a corpsman to watch the prisoner while he lay with one hand cuffed to the bed.

They were now waiting for a doctor to come. He watched as a resident came charging in and checked to make sure Tony had a pulse. The young man looked up and nodded at the agent, allowing Jensen a breath of relief that there was indeed a pulse. The resident then went to check on Collins.

Jensen heard Tony's doctor paged over the intercom as he looked around for where the young Goth had gotten to. After a quick scan of the room, he found her huddled in a corner with the metal tray still in her hand. Knowing she was in shock, he walked cautiously over to help the trembling young woman calm down.

"Ms. Scuito," Jensen said calmly. "Are you okay?"

She made no move to get up.

"The floor is cold and we need to get you checked out," Jensen tried to reason with her.

Abby's eyes could not pull away from their focus on Tony, still unconscious. After a few moments, she dragged them away to look at the older agent, still scared and slightly in shock over what had happened. She was sure Tony had been shot, which was wreaking havoc with her anxiety levels. She allowed Jensen to get her off the cold floor and move her to a chair. They both watched as the resident rolled Tony over and shined a penlight into his eyes.

"Agent Jensen," the resident called unnecessarily, since he already had their attention. "He was knocked unconscious. His doctor should be here soon and we'll run some tests on him to make sure his injuries weren't worsened by this, and to see what's going on with his head injury."

"We need to get Agent DiNozzo moved as soon as the doctor can. This is a crime scene," Jensen announced. "Don't touch anything you don't have to, I don't want the crime scene contaminated."

"The doctor was paged and should be here momentarily," an older nurse told the agent. "I can assure you that once the doctor sees fit to move Mr. DiNozzo, your people can secure the room. Then Mr. DiNozzo will be check over and run through tests as the resident said."

An orderly placed a gurney outside the door. Jensen watched as Abby moved to sit by Tony, who lay completely still.

"Ms. Scuito—I mean Abby," Jensen said gently at the terrified young woman. "Tony is going to be okay. They're going to run those tests and I'm sure he'll be fine."

As Jensen tried to help Abby cope with the situation, he noticed Tony blinking his eyes. Within moments, they were fully open.

"In fact, he's awake and looking at you right now." Jensen smiled down at the two.

Tony looked up, stunned, and then moaned as he tried to move. He was grateful to Agent Jensen for showing up when he did; he knew he wouldn't have been able to do anymore. Jensen had saved both him and Abby. He tried to take a deep breath, but that hurt a little bit more than before the fight; as a matter of fact, he could feel what the fight had taken out of him. The fighting was too much and had made his injuries worse.

"Agent Jensen," the orderly said. "I need your help. The doctor just phoned and wants Agent DiNozzo moved to an exam room. I need your help to move him back onto the gurney we have out in the hall." The orderly looked from Jensen to Tony and then to the gurney. "I looked him over more and we can roll him on a stretcher and then transfer him to that gurney."

Jensen gave his acknowledgement to the orderly. Then, they carefully log-rolled Tony on to a portable stretcher and lifted him up gently so not to aggravate his injuries even more. After that, they transferred him onto the gurney in the hallway.

Tony turned his head in order to thank the orderly and Jensen for helping him. The gurney was a lot more comfortable than the floor. One thing was for sure…he wished the doctor would get there and give him something for the pounding in his head and the aching that was throbbing throughout his body.

"Thanks," Tony croaked out as he tried to calm down the pain. He had seen Abby when he first opened his eyes, but couldn't see her now and started to panic. He had to make sure she was alright. "Is Abby alright?" he questioned.

"I'm fine, Tony. It's you I'm worried about. That was some nasty fight for someone in your condition, Mister." Abby moved over to the gurney to comfort him. "You're being moved to an exam room. The doctor phoned up for them to bring you there. He'll check you out and run you through some tests as well." She smiled down at him. "That's what the orderly just told me. Anyway, I'm sorry about your sandwich. It might have been smooshed when everything happened."

Tony painfully pulled himself back into a better position. He thought for a moment and remembered the sandwich he'd hidden in the mini refrigerator beside the bed in the room.

"Crap!" he exclaimed as realization hit him. "Uh, Abs? Tell me you had the steak sandwich delivered to me. 'Cause if you didn't, someone did." He watched for her reaction.

She looked at him with surprise. "No, I never had a sandwich delivered to you."

"Then its evidence. It needs to be bagged and given to the boys investigating the crime scene," Tony explained.

Abby nodded and then ran over to her purse. She pulled out some latex gloves and an evidence bag. Putting the gloves on, she walked over to the refrigerator and carefully put the sandwich into the evidence bag. She then brought it over to an agent so he could dust it for prints and make sure there was nothing in it that would have poisoned Tony.

Abby went back to Tony as the orderly began to push him to the exam room.

"Well, the sandwich I did bring back for you is the one I told you was smooshed. I'm so glad you didn't eat the one that was sent to you. I told Clive, the agent dusting for prints, to dust the sandwich and also test it for drugs or poison. I have a feeling there is something in that sandwich." Abby looked down at him knowingly as she held the railing and followed him down the hallway.

"Me too," Tony answered as he painfully rested his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes.

EXAM ROOM

Tony was settled into the room and started to fall asleep when the doctor and nurses came in. Abby and Agent Jensen stood in the corner of the room, watching.

"What in the hell happened?" the doctor asked.

"Agent DiNozzo was attacked by someone impersonating an orderly," Jensen announced. "The imposter was taken to another exam room."

"Agent DiNozzo," The doctor said, waking the agent up. "I'm going to have a look. This will hurt, but I have to see what's going on. Then we will run a few blood tests so we know what we are looking at here. I know you had to have made these injuries worse. Oh, and no sleeping. We need to run a CAT scan, see about a concussion and internal injuries, just to be on the safe side."

The doctor then asked Abby and Jensen to step out into the hallway and started to examine his patient.

THE LOBBY OF THE HOSPITAL

Agent Jensen pulled out his cell phone to make some calls. First of all, he needed to make sure his agents were on their way to the lab to process the evidence they got from the room.

Two security guards came out of the exam room with Collins in handcuffs. He had a few bandages applied to him and bruises that decorated him as well. The security guards handed over the prisoner to the Federal agents to take into custody.

Jensen turned to Abby. "Ms. Scuito, I'll see you in a little while. I have to take care of this matter. Please tell Agent DiNozzo I'll be back shortly," Jensen finished as he saw four FBI agents come towards him, his agents and the prisoner.

"Agent Marcum," Jensen ordered. "Take this prisoner and go with these FBI agents to headquarters." Jensen nodded to the other agency agents and then watched them all as they waited by the elevator.

He turned to his other agents and spoke as they looked at him for instructions. "We need to locate the two missing agents."

"They're in the closet down the hallway," Collins yelled over his shoulder while he waited for the elevator with the agents that were escorting him.

Jensen nodded at the agents to check the closet while the elevator door closed. He was right behind the two men as they opened the closet door where they found the two missing unconscious agents inside.

"I need a doctor in here," Jensen announced with relief in his voice. "My missing agents are inside. They're both breathing, but unconscious."

A doctor and orderlies picked up the two agents and placed them onto gurneys to take them to examination rooms.

Jensen then pulled his cell back out and called the agents that had processed Agent DiNozzo's room. "Agent Smith," Jensen ordered. "I need you and Rawlings to get the evidence processed and send the reports to Agent Gibbs and myself." He hung up the cell to make another call.

After Agent Jensen made his other call, he stopped the security guard who had come down the elevator. He recognized the guard as the one that had been in DiNozzo's room earlier.

"I'm Agent Jensen," He said. "I needed to go and check on Agent DiNozzo and Ms. Scuito. Can you direct me to where he is having his tests?"

"Yes, of course," the guard answered as he pressed the up button on the elevator to take them to a secure room on the third floor. "I can take you to the secure room where they are going to put Agent DiNozzo after his test. He may be done already, I don't know," he answered honestly.

Jensen was then led to a private room at the end of a long corridor. At first he didn't see there was a room. He had to applaud security for finding such a well hidden area. Before he walked in, he placed a quick call to get two agents to stand guard outside the door for the next few days. After being sure that two would be arriving within the hour, Jensen walked in to the room.

INSIDE TONY'S ROOM

Jensen walked inside to see the doctor and two nurses working over what appeared to be a sleeping agent. A second glance showed Abby sitting in a chair as close as she could get to Tony. Jensen smiled as he noticed Abby wringing her hands to keep them away from Tony. He knew she just wanted to make sure he was alright and—being the type of person she was—climb on the bed and hug him. Though he knew the medical team would never allow it.

Jensen met the doctor's eyes as he took off his gloves and walked to the door where Jensen was standing.

"Agent Jensen," the doctor started. "Agent DiNozzo is very lucky. By some miracle, he managed to only gain some superficial bruises and abrasions from the fight. Thankfully, there is only a very mild concussion and that will clear up by tomorrow or the next day. The broken ribs are still on the mend; I have to say I'm a little surprised by that one, but like I said, he is very lucky.

"Now, I had to re-suture him, seems a few stitches popped from the gunshot wound. I also had to suture a wound above his eye. We're giving him antibiotics to prevent any infection. The only other thing is he'll have some very sore muscles when he wakes up, plus he will be physically drained. We need to monitor him and make sure no infection develops. He'll be healing for a while, but that won't get in the way of him flying back to the states after we are sure that no complications arise." The doctor looked from Jensen to his patient as he finished his explanation.

Both Abby and Jensen let out a sigh of relief that their friend would be okay. Agent Jensen stood, thinking about what the doctor had just said. He was concerned about getting DiNozzo out of Iraq as soon as possible. He guessed Agent Gibbs would feel the same way as he did. Captain Reynolds was hiding, laying low until he was forgotten about and would use that moment to escape back to the United States. He'd do it right under their noses and neither he nor Gibbs wanted that.

Also, Jensen was worried about Reynolds possibly trying to get Tony again; it was imperative to get both Abby and Tony home as quickly as possible.

"Doctor," Jensen asked "How soon will it be till Agent DiNozzo and Ms. Scuito can go home?"

Now it was the doctor's turn to stop and think for a moment before answering the agent's question. "I've explained that we need to watch for complications of infection. I know he can get these antibiotics on the medical plane, but I don't like surprises, Agent Jensen. He can't leave for at least two weeks; one is the minimum if all goes according to plan. As for Ms. Scuito, she was more shaken up than anything, slight shock, she can leave immediately. Funny thing is, once we gave her a Caf-Pow, she settled down." The doctor gave a shake of his head with a smile at the latter part of what he had just said.

Tony had woken up and had been listening to what the doctor was telling Jensen. As an agent, he knew that his and Abby's lives were in danger. Reynolds would try again. He didn't want to stay, but if he had to, he wanted Abby sent home right away. He turned and moaned from the soreness of his muscle; both men looked over at him. Tony, seeing he had their attention started to open his mouth, only to close it when he got a look that was reminiscent of Gibbs, which quieted him down for the moment.

"I need Agent DiNozzo released sooner than that," Jensen demanded. "His life is in grave danger, as you saw today. The sooner we get him home, the better."

"I'm afraid I can't order that, Agent Jensen. As I told you before, even on a medical plane I can't allow him to leave any sooner than what I've just told you. We can only hope for a week and not two. I'm sorry." He opened the door and left, the nurses following him.

Jensen continued to stand there, trying to think of a way to change the doctor's mind. For now, the agents on the door would have to suffice. He would have to be more vigilant with protecting Tony as well as Abby.

Now that the doctor was gone, Tony piped up. "Ah, Agent Jensen?" Tony saw the other man turn to look at him and then continued on. "I think it would the best idea to send Abby home. She doesn't need to be here and-" Tony was stopped in the middle of what he was saying.

"Excuse me, but I think I can make my own decisions here." Abby put her hand gently on her friend's shoulder.

Tony looked over at her and slowly shook his aching head. "Abby, come on…you need to leave and go back to the States. You didn't sign up for this and you aren't an agent. I won't have you die on my watch. I was frantic when I didn't see you after being attacked. You need to go home," he pleaded with concern.

Abby was shaking her head.

"You and I both know Gibbs would agree," Tony told her, using the Gibbs card to try and change her mind.

Jensen stepped forward. "I think he is right, Abby. I'll try what I can to get the doctor to let Tony go earlier but you should leave now and I think he is also right about your Agent Gibbs." Jensen stared at her, concern filling his features.

"No!" Abby stood up and looked at both men. "Ok, maybe I was shook up, but I don't leave my friends when they are in trouble." She looked from Jensen and then over to Tony. "And you mister, shame on you, using the Gibbs card and thinking that would change my mind." She huffed as she plopped into the uncomfortable chair by Tony's bed.

Tony gave her a hard look, green eyes boring into brown. "No? You saying no about this is not acceptable, Abs. I can't allow it," Tony told her with determination.

Abby slowly started to grin, "Get used to it because I am not changing my mind, Tony. And what is this about 'you can't allow this'? Last time I checked, I could still make my own decisions." She cocked her eyebrow at him.

Jensen stayed quiet. He knew there was no talking to this woman once she made up her mind and figured Tony knew this, too. What would he tell Gibbs? That, he didn't even want to think about. Jensen started to pull the door open when Tony stopped him.

"Hey, you're going to let her stay?" Tony asked in shock.

Jensen shrugged. "Not too much I can do, Tony."

Tony let out a sigh. "Glad you're the one that has to tell Gibbs this one. I have to tell you, though, watch out for that thousand yard glare, it can kill." Tony smiled as Abby joined him and nodded.

"He's right, only Gibbs would never do anything of the sort to me," Abby explained and then took a huge gulp of her Caf-Pow. "Tell Gibbs I'm staying. I'll leave when Tony does, if he wants to talk to me you can bring your Sat phone here, but the answer will still be no. He'll understand."

"So you're staying with me, then," Tony stated and then painfully moved over in his bed. "Can't let you sit in that damn hard plastic thing they call a chair. Plus, if I didn't Gibbs, will be even worse when we get home. Come on up." Tony smiled his thousand watt smile at her and got one back in return.

Agent Jensen shook his head and laughed at the two of them. Then, he waved goodbye and told them he'd be back soon. Right now he had to face Gibbs and get Tony and Abby to safety.

Jensen walked down the hall and toward the entrance of the small hospital. He was dreading contacting Agent Fornell who would in turn contact Agent Gibbs and his director. He made his way outside into the small courtyard and found a bench in the shade. He pulled out the phone, not paying attention to the time difference, and dialed Fornell's number.

AN OFFICE IN D.C.

Agent Fornell was ready to leave to finally go and pick up his daughter. He explained to Emily that he was working on a case with Agent Gibbs and he may have to work again later. He'd called the babysitter who was the daughter of one of his agents and she agreed to come and watch her if he had to come back into work.

Just as he started to walk out of his office, his cell phone rang. He glanced down to see the 911 from Agent Jensen flashing from the text message. Thinking he could handle the call while going to get his daughter, he dialed the agent's phone number. The other line rang as he grabbed his bags and locked the door behind him.

OUTSIDE THE IRAQI HOSPITAL

Jensen had hoped that Agent Fornell hadn't gone home yet. He knew that the older man had a tendency to leave the ringer off on his cell phone and therefore might miss the important message about DiNozzo. All of a sudden his phone rang and he picked it up on the second ring.

"Tobias," Jensen replied. "We have a problem!"

"What happened?" Fornell asked.

"The Petty Officer Collins attacked DiNozzo about a half an hour ago," Jensen answered.

"What do you mean attacked?" Fornell questioned over the phone.

"DiNozzo was attacked in his room," Jensen explained. "He was alone at the time. Collins got inside after two of my agents were drugged and unconscious. He got in by carrying in a medicine tray. The man started asking Tony about the flash drive and demanded he hand it over. DiNozzo put up a good fight, though."

"Is he okay?" the Lead agent asked, dreading to have to tell Jethro that his senior agent has injured once again.

"He's doing okay," Jensen answered. "Thankfully, he didn't break any of his already injured ribs. And there was no concussion. He reopened the wound to his arm, but other than that, just some cuts and bruises. The doctor said he will be quite sore in the morning, so he has been given some pain medicine to help."

Jensen continued. "I was thinking that there could be a way to get DiNozzo and Ms. Scuito out of here on a medical transport, so they wouldn't have to take a cargo plane back. That way, Tony would be getting the medical attention he needs."

"That's good," Fornell answered "But I will need to let Agent Gibbs and Director Vance know what is going on. I'm sure that Gibbs will want to bring him and Miss Scuito home as soon as he can. Oh, and I will talk to Agent Gibbs to try and help get Agent DiNozzo released immediately."

"Okay Tobias," Jensen said. "I need to go and make sure DiNozzo is doing okay. I'll try and talk to Agent DiNozzo's doctor. And get the flash drive sent back to D.C. immediately."

"Okay," Fornell replied. He clicked his cell phone shut and then started to make another call.

D.C., AN HOUR LATER

The team had been busy all night trying to find any leads in the search for Reynolds. Gibbs had been waiting for word from Abby about how Tony was doing. It had been almost twenty-four hours and there was still no word. He was starting to get concerned when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Fornell calling. He turned to his team.

"It's Fornell," Gibbs announced. "I'll be back soon."

Ziva and McGee were deeply engrossed in their work, but glanced up to give their acknowledgement. They watched as Gibbs stepped into the elevator then turned back to checking on leads.

By the time Gibbs opened the phone, it had stopped ringing. After the elevator closed, he dialed Fornell's number. He let it ring and then when it went to voicemail he left a hurried message.

"Tobias," Gibbs barked. "Call me back."

The summer weather was nice enough, and his stress level high enough, that Gibbs decided to go for a walk. He was going to stop at the deli down the street that Tony and the others loved so much. He was going to grab a couple of cups of coffee while waiting for Fornell to call back. Then he was going to bring back an early lunch for the team. And hopefully some news about DiNozzo and Abby. He glanced at the time to see that it was only about 10:30. More than enough time to take the call. A few minutes later his phone rang again.

"Tobias," Gibbs answered. "What the hell took you so long to call back?"

"Sorry, Jethro," Fornell apologized. "I had to drop Emily off at the babysitter's house first before I was able to call you."

"Well tell Emily I'll come by and see her," Gibbs replied. "So is there any news on DiNozzo?"

Gibbs asked the question even though he knew what the answer had been. Abby had been due to call him with an update and was hours late in calling him back. But he was getting worried and was trying as hard as hell not to assume the worst. He had stayed as focused as he could, but could not keep his mind from wandering. He'd imagined so many different scenarios from Tony being murdered to getting the news that both he and Abby were dead at the hands of Reynolds.

"Jethro," Fornell said. "I do have news. Tony and Abby were attacked."

"What the hell!" Gibbs yelled. "Damn it! I thought the F.B.I. was supposed to be keeping him safe!"

"Collins, the orderly, drugged the two agents posted at the door," Fornell explained as he sat down at his table. "Collins hid them in a closet while he went to get the flash drive away from DiNutso. Thankfully, it was hidden in the watch he was wearing. He held his own very well. It's a good thing Abby showed up when she did; she probably saved DiNozzo from getting killed. Tony reopened the gunshot wound; it needed to be re-sutured, but otherwise came out of it with just scrapes and a few abrasions."

"So is Collins in custody?" Gibbs demanded.

"Yes he is," Fornell answered.

"Get DiNozzo home then," Gibbs demanded.

"There's one way," Fornell answered. "Agent Jensen said there is a medical transport leaving in three days with room for two more people. I just need authorization from Sec-Nav to make it happen. They need the authorization in twenty-four hours to make room."

"Thank you, Tobias," Gibbs answered, relieved he was getting two members of his team back. "Has there been any word yet on Reynolds yet?"

"According to what Agent Jensen told me yesterday, there have been sightings," Fornell answered. "But they figure that he's hiding until he thinks it's safe to come home. Or he is waiting to hear that DiNozzo is on his way home so that he can try another attack there."

"Well regardless we need to get him home before Reynolds can get to him," Gibbs answered. "Besides, he can be protected better here in D.C. It will also free up Agent Jensen so him and his team can focus on the manhunt. Tobias, just make sure that there's a spot for my people on the transport. And I'll talk to Director Vance as soon as I get back to NCIS."

"Okay, Jethro," Fornell answered. "I'll get everything sent with Jensen. I've got to pick up Emily from the babysitter in a bit. I'll talk to you later."

Gibbs hung up the phone as he headed back down the street with the sandwiches and drinks. He was hoping that it would be an easy thing to get Tony and Abby on the transport in a few days. Taking a sip of the coffee, he stepped through the crosswalk and up to the doors leading to the building.

NCIS HOSPITAL ROOM IN IRAQ

After pain medicine and a three hour nap, Tony felt more refreshed than he had in months. He'd woken to Abby, with a new steak sandwich for him and a tuna one for herself. He'd also seen the large bag of barbeque chips and four giant dill pickles sitting on the stand waiting to be eaten. She'd ordered a large sandwich for him and a small one for herself. She thought after the afternoon he that her friend would be starving.

"Hey Abs," Tony said. "Are one of those sandwiches for me. I'm starving."

"I do," Abby said as she climbed up on the bed and pulled the tray over the bed so they could have a place for their food. "I have another steak sandwich for you and tuna for me. I also got a drink for you and a refill for me. Oh, I got you four giant pickles and some chips. Thank goodness Jensen was able to get all this delivered."

Tony took a bite of his sandwich as he grabbed a stack of DVDs. "How would you like to watch a movie while we eat?"

"Sounds good," Abby answered as she took the movie and hopped off the bed. Before she put the movie in, she checked the title and laughed when she noticed that the movie was Sister Act. It was one of her and Tony's favorites. Tony opened the bag of chips and took the pickles out so they could eat and enjoy the movie.

NCIS, VANCE'S OFFICE

"What can I do for you Jethro?" Vance asked. He'd just sat down for dinner when the doorbell rang. He waved his wife away as he suspected who the visitor might be. When he saw who it was, he invited him inside.

"I just spoke to Agent Fornell," Gibbs answered. "DiNozzo was attacked in his room around noon Iraq time. He'll be okay, but we need to get him back to D.C. immediately. There's a medical transport leaving in a few days, and I need them on it before Reynolds himself comes after him."

"Let me call and clear it with the Sec Nav," Vance answered. "I'll have an answer in the morning for you. Meanwhile has there been any news on the whereabouts of Captain Reynolds?"

"Nothing new," Gibbs answered. "As far as Agent Jensen and his team know, he is still hiding out somewhere in Iraq. Fornell seems to think that he may be waiting to hear that Agent DiNozzo is back. Jensen thinks that he'll lay low for another month and then try and get back to the states."

"All the more reason to bring DiNozzo home immediately," Vance answered. "I need to let my wife know to hold dinner while I go to my study to make the calls."

"Thank you, Leon," Gibbs said as he shook his hand and stepped outside into the warm evening moonlight.

NCIS, MORNING IRAQ TIME

Tony and Abby had just finished another smuggled-in breakfast courtesy of the FBI. Tony and Abby both commented that these free meals were because Jensen felt bad about what had happened to Tony. Every time a new meal was brought in, Abby tried to pay the agent, but the money was always refused.

She had to laugh, as it seemed Tony's voracious appetite had begun to return. And another sign of him feeling better was that he had started to flirt with the nurses coming in and out of the room.

Tony was sleeping and Abby was helping review some evidence that Jensen had left her earlier when she heard a knock on the door. She automatically said "Come in" when she recognized the voice.

"Hi, Abby," Jensen said with a smile as she walked into the room. "I have some news for DiNozzo and yourself."

"Tony is asleep," Abby said, looking at her soundly sleeping friend. "But I am sure he'd be happy for some news. Besides, he's been snoring loud."

Abby walked over and grabbed a bottle of water. She took off the lid and sat it down as he stepped back over to the bed. The younger woman smiled brightly as she tipped the bottle and poured water on Tony's face.

"What's going on?" Tony yelled as he woke up with a start. He looked up to see the smiles of the two people standing in front of him. "What'd ya do that for Abby?"

"Jensen has some news for us," Abby answered wiping off the water from his face. "Besides, you were snoring way too loud." She turned to Jensen. "And what is your news, Agent Jensen?"

The two younger people looked at the older agent, wondering what was important enough for him to make a special trip to the hospital.

"I just spoke with your director, Agent DiNozzo," Jensen answered with a smile. "And it looks as though there is a medical transport leaving tomorrow, with room for you two on it. We need to get you out before Reynolds comes out of hiding, so I'd suggest, Abby, that you get Tony and yourself packed. The transport leaves at 0800."

Tony sat up straight at the thought of being home in a few days. He was excited to see his friends and sleep in his apartment again. But he was nervous about seeing the others after his behavior four months ago. There were still unresolved issues with Gibbs. He knew they needed to talk, but felt bad about the hateful things that were said in the hospital room.

"Sounds great," Tony answered, mask in place. "So are there stewardesses serving drinks and everything?"

"No," Jensen answered, sensing something wrong with his friend. "But it is a state of the art medical transport. Basically, it's a hospital inside an airplane. You might appreciate it more than here."

"Cool," Abby said as she turned back toward Tony. "So is there a Caf-Pow machine there, too?"

"Yeah, Jensen," Tony said with a laugh. "You'd better get one for the plane or Abby won't want to come back."

"Hey, DiNozzo." Jensen laughed ignoring the last comment. "I heard that they have some pretty gorgeous nurses on the transport. I can get a couple of their numbers for you if you want to me to."

"Actually," Tony answered with a smile. "I don't think I need any help in that area. Maybe you could get a couple for McGee, though, most of his are level 7 sorceresses that he met online."

"I'll see what I can do," Jensen answered. He was glad that his friend had relaxed a bit. He'd expected Tony to be a little more excited to go home. After all, while he'd been here, all he could do was talk about going home. Then Abby and his friends and how to get a great pizza here.

"Another agent will be here in a few minutes with what I was told was a really good sausage, pepperoni with extra cheese pizza. And for you, Abby, a refill on you Caf-Pow jug. I'll be back to see you before you leave."

"Thanks," Tony answered as his friend started to slip out the door. As he was getting ready to round the corner Abby shouted out suddenly.

"Agent Jensen," Abby yelled as she too stepped out the door.

"Yes, Abby?" he asked has he came back around the corner.

"I looked through all the evidence from the hospital room," she said. "Everything I have is on the flash drive here. But are you any closer to finding Reynolds? I mean, is it safe for Tony to go home?"

"Thanks for the flash drive," he answered as he slipped the drive into his pocket. "As far as Reynolds goes, I think he's waiting it out until he knows Tony is gone. He'll be safer in D.C. then he'll be here. It's safe for DiNozzo to go home. Have him ready by 0800 in the morning. Take care, Abby."

"Hey, Abs," Tony said as he sat up straight in bed. "Is it true? I…I mean…we're actually going home?"

"Yes, we are Tony," Abby answered as she reached over and ruffled his hair. "By this time tomorrow, we'll be on our way home."

"That's great," Tony answered, not as quite convincingly as he would have liked it to have been. "So when do the sandwiches arrive?"

"Actually, today it's pizza," she said as she grabbed for the DVDs. "And it's your turn to choose the movie this time."

"Thanks," Tony said, and they settled down to watch the movie.


	22. Chapter 22

Authors note. Sorry again for the long gap between chapters. But the story is nearly done. I am hoping to finish before the end of the year. I also need to thank all my readers and friends for their help while I have been struggling with life and this story. And especially for a special few as if it wasn't for their help the story probably would be abandoned now. Enjoy and thank you.

Sarah

Gone

Chapter 22

NCIS

The next morning 0700

Abby was packing up the rest of her and Tony's things. It had started to look more like a motel room than a hospital room. She'd finished packing her things and refilled her large cup of Caff-Pow. Jensen had promised a new jug to get her by till they got back to DC so she decided to finish her current jug off. Then proceeded to pile all of his things back into the two large bags that were in the closet.

Then she went through bedside table and collected his cd's, I pod and dvd's. Abby smiled when she saw the special watch where she'd hidden the flash drive. Abby set it aside so she could give it to Tony to wear. She'd laid all the bags onto one side of the bed then remembered to get her friends I Pod and laptop out so he would have something to do on the long plane ride. Digging through one of the duffle bags she found a carryon bag she assumed he had used for his laptop and other personal items. She had just finished putting them in the carryon bag along with some gum and pictures that were inside when the bathroom door opened to show Tony dressed, unshaven and completely exhausted.

"Here Tony" Abby exclaimed ready to help him back onto the bed "Let me help you lie down till Jensen gets here. He promised you a breakfast burrito and a good cup of coffee."

"I can do it myself Abbs." He answered in a very weary voice "Gibbs and the others know we're leaving today."

"They do" Abby answered "Tim and Ziva along with Jimmy went over yesterday and got your place cleaned up and ready for you to come home to. Ziva went grocery shopping and cooked up a storm for you. Sounds like you won't be cooking for a few weeks."

Tony eased himself onto the bed and grabbed for the watch lying on the night stand. "Thanks for finding the watch again. It's my good luck charm. You it saved my life. And have you talked to Gibbs?"

"I have Tony" Abby answered trying not to feel concerned for her friend "And don't look like it's a bad thing. He's been very worried about you. What's wrong?"

Tony immediately clammed up at the thought of talking while so many emotions were running through him all at once. But he felt like opening up when Abby came and sat down beside him.

"I'm actually kind of nervous about going back home." He admitted. "I mean I have been dreaming of this day for months. When I was undercover as a marine seeing everyone and the thought of going home was the only thing that kept me going…"

"Tony" Abby interrupted "It's…."

"No" Tony insisted "Let me finish. I was terrified of seeing you and everyone. Leaving to come here was kind of like running away after all the terrible things I did and said. I am surprised you're even talking to me. I know we talked and worked it all out but I still feel guilty. But I still left things bad with Gibbs. And yeah I know that I talked with Ziva and McGee but I'm not ready to face them and really deal with everything. And I feel bad about leaving things the way I did by not saying goodbye to Ducky and Palmer. And I also have to deal with Vance."

"Hey" Abby answered grabbing ahold of his arm "We know what you were going through. Coming off of that bad mission with the FBI and getting shot. Then being sent to Iraq before you could even deal with everything that had happened to you. And Gibbs feels bad about everything that happened. He was just relieved to see you. You had him worried even though he wouldn't come right out and say it."

Tony was about to say that Abby was wrong when Agent Jensen and two other FBI agents walked in the door. The two men immediately grabbed the bags and started to carry them out to the awaiting vehicle. As they were getting ready to take them away she quickly grabbed the two carryon bags and sat them by the door so that they would go with the other bags. As soon as the two agents left he grabbed a bag that she hadn't noticed earlier.

"Hey Tony, Abby" Jensen said brightly "Looks like you're going home DiNozzo today."

"That's right." Tony said quietly

"You okay?" Jensen questioned

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sore and tired." Tony answered putting his mask firmly into place "Got anything good in that bag?"

"Actually I have some donuts for myself and breakfast burritos for the two of you." Jensen announced "And I have two coffees and a brand new jug of Caff-Pow for Abby here. I can give you guys ten minutes then it's time to go."

Tony watched as his friend walked out the door and started in on his coffee and burrito. He noticed that Abby seemed to want to continue the conversation so he turned to face the other direction. Abby walked over and tried to put a hand on his shoulder. He quickly moved and brushed her hand away.

"Abby" Tony said sadly "I just don't want to talk about it right now. I'm sorry but I just really want to be alone right now."

He planted a kiss on her cheek and turned back away so he could finish his breakfast in silence. What seemed like only seconds Agent Jensen came back to the room to collect them. Tony and Abby grabbed their carryon bags and proceeded to follow him out the door. She turned around to try and talk to her friend but stepped in front of her and took off out the door without another word. She knew Tony was still hurting and decided not to push him. It wasn't worth him shutting down all together so she decided to wait until they got home to try and talk about things.

Thirty minutes later

Thirty minutes later they arrived at a small base air strip. The plane was nothing like Abby had imagined. I looked as fancy as the airplane that had brought them here. She assumed that Tony would be as fascinated as she certainly was. Tony stepped out after she did and whistled as he was what was transporting them home.

"Wow" he said as he pulled his sunglasses out and put them on. "Pretty nice plane Abbs. Certainly a lot nicer than the one I came here on."

"This is one of the newer and one of the most advanced medical transports available." Jensen answered anticipating their questions. "And it's like a miniature hospital inside. I think Abby will be quite impressed with all the equipment in inside. And for DiNozzo, a comfortable place to rest and some very nice nurses to take care of you."

"Sounds nice." Tony answered rolling his eyes "And hot too I suppose."

The three of them climbed up the small ladder and inside the plane. Abby and Tony looked around in awe. Jensen was right, they both thought about the fact that it looked like a miniature hospital. There were hospital beds set up on the first floor of the plane that were nicer than the ones at Bethesda. Both Tony and Abby noticed that there were other floors in the large plane that they were both very eager to explore.

"Time for me to get back to the case." Jensen said as he turned toward the door "Hopefully I'll be back to DC soon. But make sure that you both let me know when you get back to DC."

Abby gave turned and gave him a hug goodbye. And Tony stood up slowly to shake the older man's hand.

"Thank you so much Randy" Tony said as he grabbed ahold of one of the beds to steady himself. "I probably wouldn't be here without you. And yes let me know when you get back home."

"You should be home in a day or so." Jensen said as he started out into the summer heat. "See you soon."

Both Abby and Tony stood waiting for the older agent to step out of the airplane. After he was gone they both made their way over toward two vacant beds. She helped an obviously worn out Tony onto the bed. Then she turned around and sat down on the bed directly across from him. Abby tossed the rest of their things and took advantage of her friend sleeping to take a tour of the very cool state of the art flying hospital. She'd talk to him after they got home and settled back in Tony's place.

Outside the base

NCIS

Jensen parked his jeep. His thoughts were on how glad he was that they finally had a lead to find Reynolds. Collins was now in custody waiting for him to go interrogate the would be assassin.

Jensen shut the door to the jeep and walked inside the base. He smiled, glad that they had gotten there in time to save both Abby and Tony.

First thing was to see if there was anything more found on the back round of this Collins. They had all felt he was someone else and needed back round on him. The only way to do this was to find out who Collins was. They had finger prints from Collins taken earlier when Abby had gotten suspicious. McGee and Gibbs' team along with his team both had these prints and were running checks. He entered the main room with all the expensive computers. Gibbs had said it reminded him a lot of what they had in D.C. called MTAC.

Jensen's eyes locked on to Agent Sparks' eyes, so he knew the man had gotten something he needed for this interrogation. He got to the desk as the agent handed his superior a file.

"This came over from Agent McGee and I printed it out for you."

Jensen inhaled and then exhaled as he took the file. "Thank you. Do you have anything more on this?" he asked wanting to know as much as he could before going into the room with Collins.

"Yes, I added a few things with McGee's. Sir, you should find it very interesting and I know it will help you with interrogating Collins." The agent said with a smile.

Seeing the smile on one of his agents made him felt better and more confident. He wasn't going to have to go in cold on this one.

"Ok." Jensen sat on the corner of Sparks' desk and opened the file, looked at it for a moment and then at his agent, "Run me through this."

Sparks looked like someone had just wound him up and looked at his own copies.

"First off we found out that there really was a Scott Collins and he did go to Ohio State, where he studied medicine. He finished but couldn't go on to medical school because he couldn't afford it so joined the Marines and became a medic. After his tour he would have gone to medical school with military help. Only problem with that is he was in with Reynolds platoon. Reynolds, as we know is in too many shady things and so are his men and other's this man has come in to contact with over the years." Sparks stopped and hit a button and a photo of the real Scott Collins came up.

Jensen looked at the bigger photo on the screen while thinking of the few things his agent had told him. "Ok, so this is the real guy. What happened to him and where does the fake Collins come in and what is his relationship to Reynolds?" He asked firmly.

Sparks gave a nod, "The real Scott Collins we now believe was killed by Reynolds. Reynolds and his men including Scott where on a road that intel said had IED's. They were supposed to search and extract them. Scott was there in case something happened to a man. We believe that Reynolds knew an IED was in this one place here on the road." Sparks put up another picture of where the IED had gone off and then continued with his explaination.

"What we believe is that Scott didn't want anything to do with what Reynolds and his men were into. He sent Scott over to help a man down, a set up. The man with Scott didn't want anything to do with what was going on either. They set off the IED and both were killed, They took Collins Dog tags off and buried the body only leaving the one man. They then had the fake Collins aka Ryan Johnson, Scott Collins cousin come in. They had to have planted him somewhere. With all Reynolds is into somehow he had someone change all of Collins records to fit Ryan He had photos, DNA and everything else changed to put Ryan in as the now real Scott. Brilliant if you ask me. The incident was investigated and he came out clean, no one the wiser."

The agent smiled but got a scowl back.

"I don't think it was brilliant I think this guy is a lunatic. Now go on." Jensen put the agent in his place and then asked. "Why Collins cousin and how does Reynolds know him?" He then waited for more intel on the questions he asked. He wanted to have time to digest this all and go in with every angle available.

"From what we found out Johnson and Collins were close only Collins was smarter than Johnson. Collins did go to Ohio State from 1998 and graduated in 2002 and then enlisted. DiNozzo went to Ohio State from 1989 until graduating in 1993. Johnson was going to a community college and wasn't doing to well. He fell into a gang, into drugs and got himself a record. The gang was one that Reynolds had been in a few years back. When he was on leave he visited his gang and met Ryan Johnson and they got to know one another. Later on when Ryan wanted to straighten out his act he contacted Reynolds and it was set up. I told you how it went down."

Sparks looked up at his commanding officer to see the reaction. All he saw was the shaking of Jensen's head.

"Jesus, this guy really has his fingers into so much from the start and it just grew to where it is now. Ok, keep going I need the whole story to find and stop Reynolds and Johnson is the key here." Jensen spoke with urgency now.

"Well, from what I understand Reynolds also got Johnson transferred before anyone could see him, but his own men who were in on everything. Johnson aka Collins went to places that Reynolds needed him and got a nice side bonus besides military pay. Johnson now owed Reynolds as he learned more about being a medic and working in a hospital one other time as an orderly. The way it looks is that Reynolds knew this would be the best way to get DiNozzo and the flash drive, so he made sure that Collins was re-assigned as an orderly to that hospital and that floor." Agent Sparks looked up as he finished the briefing of his superior.

Interrogation Room

NCIS

Jensen slouched into the interrogation room with a bored air about him, his attention on the open file in his hand. He affected to look twice at something, and smiled disdainfully to himself. Hooking the chair from under the table opposite Johnson with his foot, he threw himself down on it with an irritated grunt. Having been through three moods in the five seconds since he walked in the room, he now looked up with a huge smile, and saw that his intention had worked.

The prisoner, having tried to follow his expressions, was somewhat off kilter.

"So... Mr. Johnson, what you -"

"My name's Collins. Scott Collins."

"Sure. Scott Collins is dead. Murdered. Wanted to be a doctor, couldn't afford the study. So he found a way, like the good man he was. You surely don't think I'm going to insult his memory by calling a college drop-out, druggie ganger like you by his name, do you, _Ryan_?"

The man opposite him's eyes widened, but he bluffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"No, of course not. Now, as I was saying before you interrupted me, Mr. Johnson, what you need to know is that those two agents you nearly killed with an overdose of barbiturates – oh dear me, you don't even know what the poison was, do you? Just gave them what your master gave you, didn't care what it'd do – but I digress. Those two guys who're lucky to be alive right now are _friends _of mine. If they die," (Jensen knew they were out of danger, but there was no need to tell Johnson that,) "how's that going to make me feel? D'you know how sick I am of going to friends' funerals? Putting their bodies on aircraft for their last journey home, like Carlson? Did you think that telling me where they were was going to get you brownie points? You'll have to do a lot better than that, Mr. Johnson."

"I'm not saying anything. I want a lawyer."

"Hello? Iraq? Where will I find you one of those? Let me tell you what _I _want. Let's start with the bit where I tell you who you are... see, when Reynolds put your prints, DNA, whatever, into Collins' file, he forgot to take them out of _your_ record." He recited neatly all the facts that Tim and Sparks had fond for him, and sat back in his chair with a shark-like grin. "What I want..." he repeated. "I want Reynolds. Preferably his head on a plate, but alive would do."

"I'm not saying anything about him – he'll kill me."

Jensen opened the file as if he hadn't heard, and Johnson saw his own cell phone lying on top of the papers. "If you don't," he said idly, "_I'll_ kill you."

"You can't -"

Like I said, Iraq. Anything goes. All I need to do is push you through the compound gates and out of the zone – somebody'll take care of you, I don't care who, or how." By the look on his face, and the way he gulped, it seemed as if Johnson didn't find that unbelievable. "So let's start with the last time you saw Reynolds. Was I right with my guess? He gave you the phenobarbitone? I was, wasn't -"

Johnson's phone rang, and he jumped. He eyed it as if it were a scorpion.

"Answer it."

"I..."

"_Answer it._ As if nothing's happened. I'm not here."

"Wha – what shall I say?"

"Anything you like except that you've been arrested."

Johnson picked the device up as if it were covered in something offensive. "H-hello?" Reynolds wouldn't think anything was amiss because of the tremor in his voice; he was always terrified of speaking to his boss, on the phone or face to face.

"_DiNozzo and Sciuto were put on a plane this morning. Did you get that damn chip before they went?"_

"N-no... I -"

"_Of course you didn't, you useless bag of jelly. You can thank your lucky stars that I've got important things to do right now, or you'd be dead. Still might be some time in the future. Did those two agents see your face?"_

"Yes, but they don't know I gave them the -"

"_You don't know any such thing. If they're not already dead see to it."_

While they were speaking Jensen wrote on a scrap of paper and pushed it across.

"All – all right. What's the important thing you're doing?"

"_You really are just as stupid as you were in your gang years. I'm going back to DC to get that chip, and finish off DiNozzo of course."_ The line went dead.

After that it was easy. Johnson gave up the names of every associate of Reynolds that he knew anything about, what he'd looked like the last time he'd seen him...

Sorry about the rough ending. But thr last chapters will end a lot better


End file.
